Why is it a Blackberry Lily?

I have a few plants I wanted to share a bit before the end of the season. There are always the handful of regulars to be found from seed and in stock at nurseries. But I have a couple of hidden gems that fall off the radar and are worth a look as you plan ahead for next season.

The first is a Blackberry Lily which I was 1st gifted years ago by fellow gardener friend Laura F. It is confusing in that it is neither a fruit OR a Lily. It is actually an Iris! The main clue are its long, tall fronds and stems which are obviously in the Iris genes. Where it differs is in the flower. The blooms look more like an orchid. I had one in a bright yellow shade, but most resemble my current one appropriately called Freckles in a coral/ tangerine tone. I can see where they are sometimes also referred to as a Leopard Flower because of these spots.

What makes them a good add is that they bloom mid summer and are on tall, thick stems of 30" so they stand out from the front border but are not climbers either. The sweet flowers only last a few days, but a single stem normally yields 5-6 flowers in tandem. Where iris tend to expand out, the lilies do not and stay relegated to the spacing they are in. They may offer up multiple stems, but never really branch out more than 12 inches in any direction. I do stake them so they do not snap in strong winds. Mine have always been resilient after the first few years where they need good soil and watering to establish. They are listed as Zone 5, but have never been in issue in my plot near the house where they are sheltered a bit from hard winter freezes. 

 

To get to the blackberry reference, I just noticed them late season at the Lyndale Border Gardens on an evening walk. I am meticulous about dead heading my plants, but had forgotten how these go to seed in early Fall. The blooms go into a pod mode and eventually "pop" releasing these magical dark bundles that look exactly like a fat blackberry. I have never dabbled with growing from seed, but suspect it may be easy since they are huge. I would also guess it is not as easy as most annuals and may take a few years of rooting until you get a full plant with blooms. But if you are seeking something unusual, these can be found and are worth the investment. I have mine right by the front steps and see it daily when brushing the dogs on the front stoop.

 

What does it take to win a Dahlia Blue Ribbon at the State Fair?

Today was the 2nd year that I served as a clerk for the MN Dahlia Society judging at the MN State Fair. Many of you know that for years I have judged marching band and drum corps. This is just as meticulous with a LOT of criteria before any of the ribbons and medals are handed out. I thought I would give you the basic 101 of what it takes.

For starters, it begins much earlier than the end of August. Anyone entering needs to count back the weeks before the date and tinker with Mother Nature as much as possible. There is debudding and pinching as well as deadheading, hoping to guide your favorite blooms to serving up that perfect flower on the exact date for entry and praying the the elements work in your favor. A rough storm, a heat stretch or insects can change intentions easily. Most of the seasoned gardeners load up a few big buckets and bring whatever looks reasonable and make choices right at the fairgrounds.

The staging room opens on the grounds the night before. Some of the gardeners travel and spend the night in the Metro working most of the night. Trimming back stems, wedging in foam or arranging multiples depending on which categories they are entering. It becomes kind of like a party for those assembling the floats for the Rose Parade the night before. 

Classes and varieties: The Dahlia Association recognizes 15 distinct color blends from whites, to blush, through the rainbow to bi-color mixes. Forms are vast from little pom poms and micros, to ball, to formal & informal decorative, anemones, collarettes, waterlilies..... so many options to grow. And it is not comparing apples to oranges. Each one gets its own division in the competition. And then sorted by size with AA being the large dinner plates and single B being a common 4-8 inch bloom. When you multiply ALL these options out - there are hundreds of ribbons to be handed out over the two showrooms in the horticulture building.

 

The judging begins at 8 AM on show day. All entries must be placed on the table with tags by this point. We have a sizable pool of very well trained judges and several still in training. They are separated in pods of 3-4 judges per group and given a clerk - which I take on. My job is to record all decisions, note the 1st, 2nd & 3rd place winners; the name of the grower and the hybrid variety that takes 1st in each of the categories. In order for a new breed to become a recognized in the annual catalogue, it needs at least 5 1st place ribbons in major shows throughout the country. So our efforts here do impact the national market based on rating! The judging panels go group by group and are looking at several elements trying to balance them all and determine which best fits the criteria. Is it true to the form and shape - petals formed, center not blown, arc, balanced on the main stem. They check coloration and make sure it is fully arrived - not too early and pale or late and faded. They want a strong stem with 2 pair of leaflets on each stem. No actual points are given, but there needs to be a consensus from the panel before placement is given. I can vouch that each year creates some serious discussion and unity is not always easy deliberation.

I will also vouch that a 1st place is not guaranteed. I would say that half of my divisions today did not earn ANY blue ribbons. Sometimes just a placement of 2nd or 3rd. And in some cases none at all were awarded. They Dahlia Society feels a standard needs to be upheld and if flowers do not merit a winner, there is no consolation prize just for showing up. It sounds harsh, but there is a standard. There is also a Court of Honor, which is the best of the best. In each of the 15 color divisions for each class, the judges look back at all the 1st places and determine if any are worthy of Best in Show and those are pulled with a HUGE purple ribbon and staged on the grand stairs at the back of the showroom.

I have noted to many of my gardener friends that this has been a brutal MN summer for all of us working the soil. The dry hot and humid temps have made for late blooming, small buds, weak stems and wonky coloration in all flowers. So it was not a surprise that the entries this year paled. Even the advanced growers just did not have all the inventory they had hoped. Several, especially the large dinner-plate dahlias, had divisions with nothing submitted and made for tables that were more sparse than in the past. My 3 patches are not even where they were last July at this point and I am hoping for 50% of my plants to still bloom among those that gave up and just wilted early in the season. 

 On top of all this judging, we have also expanded to feature dahlia photography. Each season has a theme for arrangements which must feature dahlias and other floral components. This year was Road Trip. And since hybrid work is such a trend, there is a small division for seedlings that are in training under three years for new varieties. There is a lot of knowledge behind what beauty you see on display in the Horticulture Building. If you really love the dahlias, the MN Dahlia Society hosts our own show later in the season at Bachmans Sept 19-20. It should feature many lovely blooms as the season cools and relaxes a bit. And if you want to get really excited, Minnesota will be hosting the National Dahlia show in 2028. It will be the 100th anniversary of our local chapter and planning is underway where you will see the whole process play out in grand scale.

Northern Lights in a Lily Field

I spend a lot of my summer garden days with the focus on my Dahlias. I know them well, but there is still a lot more to learn. One big trend for advanced gardeners right now is creating your own hybrids of plants. Dahlias, Zinnias and many other cut flowers cross pollinate - which is both great and complicated. While bees do their work, they take genetic material in pollen from one to another plant. Just like in humans - this opens up the door for endless possibilities of new hybrids that can bring traits of any flowers in that species. I am not sure people realize the effort it takes to keep the true traits of flowers that you purchase in every seed packet you plant. It means those zinnias have had to remain isolated to stay pure to their variety. The flip side of this, is that next season you can plant those cross-pollinated seeds you kept and find many variations of new zinnias.

Getting the first blooms is the fun part as they reveal what traits they brought from both or multiple parents. But when you find that single special one that jumps out at you - how do you preserve it? With dahlias it takes at least 3-4 years to go from that original seedling to something that has been genetically grounded and released into the commercial world. For starters, you need a lot of real estate to spread out these plants upon plants with enough room to grow. It involves controlling the pollinators - whether bees or flies. And then being able to cap off each individual bloom in cloth bags that allow sun and air into the bloom for the duration of the season until they move on to seeds for the following year. I am thinking you can grasp the scope of the hybrid process...

Which brings me to Northern Lights Daylilies. They were new to me this season. I was tipped off by some garden mates who took me to their page. They are located in West Concord MN which is a teeny town down south on the back roads into Rochester. But what a pretty farm they have. Kathleen and Mike couldn't be warmer hosts who were glad to share many stories of their breeding. Their main emphasis is on creating new varieties and from what I can tell, they sell only via internet sales. They don't seem to be connected to any local garden centers as middlemen. From the website, they are certainly high-end with small batches of collector's items that can get as pricey with a $150 tag on them. Past releases are in the $15-$20 range. It also seems like a garden club where registered shoppers get access to the new varieties for the next season before they go on sale to general public - which accounts for the high prices.

But my experience with them was on the one weekend in late July where they open a single field to the general public. As I noted at the very beginning; you let the bees do their work and see what treasures you have the next season in new seedlings. Since the lilies are a perennial, those roots will continue the same stock going forward. They have 3-4 long plots where they allow them to stabilize and regenerate over a period of years. Each year they rotate a single plot. After monitoring and cataloguing traits over a 3 year period, they pull the handful of special varieties that they feel are ready to be introduced and then take on the task of regenerating them from root stock into enough viable plants that they are able to sell as a new named Lily. You can see why they have that high pricing for the first few years until they can build a large enough offspring to meet demand.

For the general public on that last weekend, they open what is left of the plot for eager gardeners to come and grab whatever plants remain at a pittance of $6 a clump. And they are big hearty clumps that have been nurtured for years! For whatever reason; the color was not brilliant enough/ they may not have been as resilient to MN winters/ stems were not sturdy enough. On the Friday morning I drove down, there were around 15 cars parked on the side of the gravel road and avid gardeners with their pitch forks going down the aisles of blooms to see what jumped out at us.

I feel like my garden has so many oranges and golds as well as blues I am drawn to. So I found a few in different shades. One is a deep tomato red with a brilliant yellow core and bright yellow frilly edges. Looking at their website, I am thinking it was from the family called Christmas Morning that must have had some shortcomings. But they are big blooms on very tall stems. I also found a stunning plum pink with a lot of texture that must have been from the Apple Candy breeds. And then a simple, short ruffled banana yellow that was more plain but somehow spoke to me. I am aware that they had a brutal few hot days of road travel until they made it home and then went into the ground during another of our hot spells in MN. But each of them managed to hold buds and all have a few remaining flowers blooming. So I have full confidence they will be massive come 2027. But what fun to know I have 3 unique, beautiful types of daylilies in my plot called NL#1, NL#2 and NL#3 to add to my plant data base. Anyone looking for a garden field trip next summer should check out the farm. 

Northern Lights Daylilies 

Champagne Elegance - Iris feature

 Before I get into the Dahlias and the Seeds of the season I will offer up a handful of other stories.

If you are not familiar with Iris borer, it can be a common ailment in MN iris. They are a moth larvae that is specific to the iris family. They start as eggs in the tall fronds mid summer and appear as tiny burn spots. As heat and humidity rise, they burrow from the leaves all the way down into the rhizome as they get larger and need more substance to feed off. They overwinter and emerge as a cutworm the next year and moths hatch around now while the cycle repeats. I have dealt with them a few times over the decades.

I somehow missed the cue in 2024, so last year I had a miserable summer with greens but not a single iris bloom. A treatment is to wait until cool temps in the fall. Then dig up what is left of healthy roots, toss away the rot (which is a true stench in iris) and then soak the rhizomes in a bleach/ water mix to kill off any remaining eggs or larvae. It was cumbersome with around 12 varieties in multiple spots. But if you do not hit every one, it is an epidemic that will come back to haunt. I chose the right time to get them back in the dirt with a month left that most showed new shoots before the frost came.

Cut to 2026. All are healthy and have come back from the breech. Smaller clumps and some smaller blooms. But they are all bright and vibrant. This one is a favorite I got years back with really dynamic contrast between the Ivory face and an almost champagne outer round of petals. Thought it was worth a share and a story.

 

I was this many years old when I.....

Do you know what a Petchoa is? Neither did I until this last week. I have grown especially fond of Petunias over the last few years as their colors and varieties continue to get more and more vivid. I am now finding out that many of these are a cross between the smaller Calibrachoa (commonly known as Million Bells) and Petunias.

Sunset Orange

These hybrids first came to the market in 2013 and were patented by a nursery in California with the series were named Calitunias. Although others have bought into the trend, the buzz word for them are now called Super Cals at many garden centers and they are lined up right beside their sister Petunia plants.

They are said to bring out the best traits of both flowers. They tend to trail more than a standard Petunia and fill out baskets better. They also lack much of the fuzzy nature of Petunias and like the Million Bell, do not need to be dead headed to perpetuate more growth. They are also able to withstand both ends of the temperature spectrum better, cool temps in Fall & Spring and the hot spells of midsummer. Because they do not seed, they also have a longer growing season by not bearing. (I have never understood this botanical phenomenon - if they don't seed, how do we get more plants the next season?)

Sunray Pink

But for me, the biggest selling point is the bump in color. By nature, the Calibrachoas have always been brighter and in a wider color spectrum. The flowers themselves are around the same size as the Petunia but with prettier, scalloped edges. This has brought in trends of Golds, Rust and even Browns that just did not exist before. In planters, one of my favorite pairings are the addition to bight Coleus leaves besides these blooms. Add in a patio Dahlia and some tall Salvia and that is all you need. The next time you are in your Garden Center, do a side-by-side comparison and tell me what you think?

Coral Star

Red Maple

A Calling to be a Gardener

I have done several featured posts on Floret Farms out in Washington state. Erin and Chris Benzakein are the purest essence of what a flower farm should be. To visit their estate out West would be a pilgrimage for me. The beauty of what they have brought to their acreage is astounding as I have followed them over the last 4 years. But their real truth is what they offer to the community - it is boundless. From their seeds and hybridizing endless varieties of new species. Their incredible abundance of training and mini courses have been essential to me as I continue to learn about seeds, dahlia tubers, and flower care. Their partnerships and community they have nurtured; not just locally but with important cohorts around the world to save endangered plant species. There is always a shout out for the great work someone else is doing. I am buying books from recommended farmers to support them and educate myself. Floret is a gift that keeps on giving to the Flower world.

 

In the past year they have been expanding their YouTube Channel into documentary work. Last year was a shattering short Gardening in A War Zone that told a haunting story of a small gardener there Alla Olkhovska, who relies on a small plot of land in bombed area of Ukraine to sustain her very poor family. It is heartbreaking to see her harvest the smallest of seed packets and mail them out to feed her ailing elders. I have to assume that the film gave her some assistance that was severely needed as well as telling a compelling story.

Just released this week is a 3-part docu- series The Beautiful Pursuit. I was in tears watching the first episode Called by Flowers. Again, it is not about Erin, but it is a scrapbook of notable gardeners around the world sharing different versions of a shared story. How a simple garden plot, sometimes created out of accident, has transformed lives by the cycle of life the flowers bring year to year. Some are therapeutic, others are based in community, others bring simple joys that ripple. If you are one of my dear circle that relish this time of year, the possibility of renewal in Spring, this film will bring a guttural response more than any Oscar winning film will. It is like watching 30 minutes of flower overload with stunning visuals and colors that we all set out to achieve in our own spaces. We all have our stories of the serenity that our hands in the dirt bring us. There are obstacles and disappointments, always. But in these turbulent time (speaking for myself at least) there is magic in those small seeds and the tiny green shoots emerging. As the film states "Flowers are Hope, Flowers are Humanity."

 

 

Picking Apples

Apples are a staple of Fall baking and no doubt some of you are throwing an apple pie or crumble in the oven for Thanksgiving. So many varieties to choose from. The horrible Delicious Apple that was in our school lunch box. The envied Honeycrisp from right here in Minnesota. I look forward to hitting a local orchard every season to celebrate the fruit. (A shout out to my personal favorite Pleasant Valley in Scandia MN.)

I have found a resource for you of All-Things-Appples. It is called Apple Rankings and is the brain child of a Brian Frange. No surprise that he is both a comedian and writer as well by trade. His website is a simple but worthy dive into everything you could want to know about rating said apples. 

 "Selectively bred to snap like a sweet piece of celery, this apple, available only in September and October (if we’re lucky) in certain super markets is the best apple ever to grace the world of Gods and men." 

"A middling sweet-tart taste and ordinary crunch is double majored with granular apple meat and electrical tape skin." 

"The perfect blend of sweet and tart, this fiery bitch is a headliner at supermarkets worldwide. Not as snappy as you’d like, and dense enough to hammer a nail, this unflappable cart-stopper is a true trailblazer as the first apple name to be awarded a trademark."

He is not one to mince words with strong opinions all around. I'll leave you to solve which varieties these quotes apply to. The site is easy to search in alpha order. The Apple page then notes the 3 Key Flavor options in the profile; Sweetness, Tartness, Intensity. As well as ratings on 9 other attributes from Cost to Skin & Density. So if you know what sort of pome hits your taste buds, the profiles should zero you in on a few matches guaranteed to please. There are great photos and usually a borrowed YouTube video highlighting the breed. Plenty of color codes. And most fascinating - comparisons: "Eat these apples instead..." That is not to say that many of the comments are not worth reading as well. It is obvious that many take their favorites seriously and eagerly defend the harsh remarks Brian utters! I love the box scores that go from Despicable to Nearly Perfect. None get a perfect one hundred. 

 

I am great with the Top 3 which includes a rare Kanzi imported from the Netherlands. I was lucky enough to stumble onto it in a Farmer's Market in Brooklyn and it has stayed with me some 10 years hence. I am on the lookout for them always, but they have not made it to the Midwest at this point. So I am fine with my 2nd choices of Honeycrisp and SweeTango. Check him out.

 Apple Rankings website.

Fashion Designs in 3-D with actual Flowers

Now that we are past the holiday rush and in for the long winter hibernation, what ways can we keep the art of the garden alive while inside? It is still too early for Spring seed plantings (although I am certainly in the planning stages.) In Minneapolis we have the Conservatory with its upcoming winter sunken garden show. It is a great January escape under a night sky with live music if you are wanting to join me. If you are past the fix for baking or movies & jigsaws are just too sedimentary .....

How about the world where Floral meets Fashion. I see a handful of friends doing the painting night out with wine. But how about pairing those creative instincts with fresh flowers and bright colors? I was inspired by an article in My Modern Met which features a Singapore based artist named Grace Ciao. Simply put, she combines couture sketches with textures of real flowers and vines. Imagine Barbie in Rose Petals and you get the drift. I can tell by viewing her work that color is the point of entry. But shape and dimension come a close second.

Obviously, she has a great sense of drawing skills. But it is her whimsy that commands your attention. I am curious which comes first - the floral or the apparel in the sketch? There are plenty of Roses. But who could have imagined what she does with a pair of Calla Lilies as Gaucho pants! Or how about layers of pink and lavender Alstroemerias? She uses a simple Parrot Tulip to create a tuille ballet tutu. Of course, a summer skirt of Sunflower petals. She calls the drawings Bloom Belles and now even has classes where others can create their own under her guidance. 

I find them all amazing. It is no wonder that she lists clients as Fendi, Chanel & Christian Dior. Her watercolor skills are lovely on their own and she also ventures into pattern designs for wallpaper and stationery. Here are only a handful to share. Visit her Insta page to see more of her incredible work.

Grace Ciao: Instagram

Serenity on the Prairie

Most of you know that Jeff and I love a good day trip outside the Metro. What I love is when one of these detours also taps into my joy of gardening & nature. A connection on social media led us out to Cambridge way and we found the unexpected gem of Angels of the Prairie.

It is a lovely small rural farm in Isanti County operated by Stacy and Chad Smith. Where to start....? It is used mostly as a very tiny event space for weddings in its quaint chapel. (We will talk about that in a paragraph.) But it is also a small flower farm which sells small cut bouquets in addition to floral events. There is a sweetest boutique store in a tiny shed that has everything from knick-knacks to collectible original art and photographs. It is a memorable enough destination to just walk the grounds of ponds, rolling plains of wildflowers, small sculpture art, lanterns among the tress and of course the hidden angels along the way.

Stacy & Chad were eager in conversations to talk about the care they put into the lot. He comes from a long career in landscaping and scrapes both plants and labor from his company to tend the farm. Stacy's gift is her love of plants from seed to harvest. Angels on the Prairie has only existed in this form for the last year. It is warming to see where they are in the process and what ambitions they have to add to it.

 

The Chapel is the anchor to the property. It is part original as well as a collection of authentic parts. This replica is based on small Midwestern Lutheran chapels that have become rare historical remnants. Parts come from Zion Norwegian Church which was located in Towner ND. The altar and bright stained glass windows came from there. Also a vintage painted portrait of Jesus the Shepherd  by Arne Berger hangs over the altar. These items were stored in a vault in Minot ND where Stacy rescued them from. The structure was built by Amish carpenters and incorporates Stacy's trademark to detail in the intimate and minimal objects found inside. The perfect time to catch the chapel is late in the day when the sun hangs low and shines through the stained glass windows. Weddings can also sprawl into larger groups on the grounds themselves.

 

 

The estate is currently only open seasonally during Spring - Fall, but I am very anxious to see what they do with this small gem and plan on catching it again. We share a fondness for dahlias and she is ambitious about expanding her fields and sharing the lovely tubers with others. I am so glad I got to see Angels in the final days of the season while the Blooms were magnificent and full.

 

Angels of the Prairie - website

Angels of the Prairie feature - the Norwegian American

Welcome to the Moon Garden

We are now into the Endless Summer Nights of August heat and increasingly shorter days. Hopefully some remaining time in the back patio with the night fountain on and an occasional firepit when it cools down (or we don't have horrible smoke in the air from the wildfires to begin with.)

Here is a post looking at the magic of gardens through the lens of nightime under the current full moon. I admit that my current space only has two of these unusual blooms. Like most of you, I spend my quality garden time in the daytime hours. But there is a small subset of plants that have a nocturnal habitat. Most of them are very fragrant and choose to open up in a cooler temps. And also, most of them have blooms that only last a single evening - adding to their mystique.

The following is an article that lists a handful of varieties, and I will highlight a few favorites.

The obvious sighting is traditional Datura/Moonflower or Devil's Trumpet. They are very large blooms with toxic, hallucinogenic bionics. Usually white, but other varieties are tinged in purple or pink. Part of the nightshade family, they are a relative of tomatoes or eggplants. Their fragrance draws the Sphinx moth if you are ever able to see them together. As the blooms crumple, they turn into very prickly pods that scatter 100s of seeds. So, once you have one in your garden, they will persistently appear year after year in places you never expect.

Another gift I got from my mother is the common Evening Primrose. A small fragile flower with 4 simple petals that resemble banana colored tissue paper with folds in them. They also are fleeting and when I am lucky enough watering in the early evening, I catch sight of a few just as they open. By morning they have shriveled without a sign. They also easily reseed. My trick is getting their small greens to the point of blooming before rabbits eat their shoots.

Another lovely plant is Angel's Trumpet which I fell in love with on a trip to Florida where they abound. The look similar to the Datura but are actually a member of the evergreen family and take over on huge vines that hang downward like a canopy. They need huge growing space and cling to entire walls. They are usually in gold tones, and I love them when they are vibrant apricot shades. They can be pruned in the tropics as a tree. I have tried them in a pot which is much less rewarding but was not able to winter it over in the basement. So, they are a guilty pleasure in the North.

A last one that caught my eye on this list is a Chocolate Daisy. How fun is that. Apparently, their blooms are a hint of cocoa & coffee. They are a member of the Aster family in the Southwest, but register as a Zone 4 which would possibly be tolerant of our MN winters. While they bloom at dusk, their scent is most noticeable in the early morning. I am going to track down one of these if I can - even ordering online.

There are several others on the list to take note of. Most of them are not stunners, but the whole offering is a different take on gardening which is worth a look for curious minds.

Night Blooming Gardens; Epic Gardening

Adopt a Tree in Minneapolis

I shared this resource last year, but it bears repeating again. Jeff and I were out on the creek just yesterday with Rosie. It is devastating to see how many tall trees are dead, brittle and marked with an X for removal. This is now the second summer in a row that we have been hit with unusually high temps as well as minimal rainfall at most. Chalk it up to climate change and it is only going to worsen. If you imagine how much water is needed to sustain a giant tree compared to those daily waterings you are giving to your lovely gardens and lawns - it does not come close. Especially during those first 3 years of planting from a sapling to something even bordering on a young tree with a root system underneath ground. Driving down Lyndale there are blocks of fancy new boulevards in the middle where the city has planted trees to encourage a canopy within the city. At least 75% of them are dead because the Park Board nor anyone else has taken the time to nurture them over these last two years. The same with trees in Painter Park a few blocks away. They are simply planted and left on their own. A waste of resources and "greenablity."

I am not sure why most of our residents are not aware of this Adopt a Tree program that is readily available. The nonprofit taking this on is called Brewing a Better Forest and is a simple game plan where a few invested urban foresters have come up with a brainchild and reached out to some local breweries who also get their passion. Somehow, they work with the city of Minneapolis on all the park and boulevard trees that are planted. And have created an interactive map where you can pull up your zip code and it shows every single tree planted in the Metro that has not been claimed. By clicking on a dot, just like you would pick a seat for a concert venue - you agree to water that tree for a period of a single season and make sure it stays healthy by watering once a week throughout this drought period. And for that simple task of helping Mother Nature, they will send you two random drinks at any of the participating brewers. How easy is that?

There are 1000s of trees to choose from. You are even given the option of naming your tree. I chose to name mine after my grandfather Basil and was lucky enough to find one planted right outside my front door. They even give you tutorial videos on how to best help your tree by keeping it watered & safe. Please give it a look. If I can get even 20 people to step up, it will make a difference to all those trees currently marked with an X that were forgotten. Do your civic duty!

Brewing a Better Forest.

Growing Floret

I did a first feature on Floret Seeds/ Farms back in March of this year after ordering some seeds from them. I had been following them on Instagram for a while because their video content of incredible cut flowers is astounding on a daily basis.

But as I keep digging deeper into their website and plant library, I am overwhelmed by the huge impact of not just their lovely gardens, but their mission to share their bounty with the rest of the gardening community. Much like a non profit arts group - they emphasize community. Free classes on all types of planting topics. A vast library of the magical plants they have in their fields. Even their daily posts are immensely topical and timely throughout the season and tap into the very things I am doing in my yard.

They have been touting a new television series that just premiered. They had done a Season 1 last year that had footage of their growth pre-pandemic in 2019. Now they have released a Season 2. I am only 2 episodes in an completely blown away by the gift of this small business out in rural Washington state. It is currently streaming on a variety of platforms; Hulu/ Max/ Prime and Roku ie... This is so far beyond the normal reality shows which have pampered gardens and competitions for fabulous landscape designs. These are true salt-of-the-earth gardeners with passion and love for the ground they work. Seeing the meager "seeds" where they started and where they have taken this is nothing short of astounding. Erin & Chris Benzakein are both heroes & pioneers. I will be a staunch supporter of them from now on and am proud to see what my seeds will yield in my lovely back garden raised bed.

If you love plants in any shape or form; watch this show!

Or follow their daily posts.

Growing Floret

Floret @ Instagram 

 

Crazy about Coleus

 I love flowers, whether annuals that keep on giving or a perennial that shares its beauty once a year. But for the last 5 years I have gone gaga over sweet leafy Coleus. They are a garden treat that keeps on giving. For starters, they are of the lowest maintenance, only requiring watering. They can thrive in almost any condition. They remain hearty into mid Fall while other plants are withering in the early frosts. But what used to be varying shades of green, has now exploded into wild colors of the rainbow.

Inferno

There are plenty of options available at all Garden Centers. Each year I try something new. But I am aware that I keep seeing the same 20+ options out there and wanted to dig a bit deeper this season. So, I found a handful of seed options online and narrowed it down to one called Swallowtail Seeds. I liked the name; the price was good, and it was hard to narrow my choices down to a mere 4-5 options.

I also found a great blog post from another vendor Seeds Needs that approaches this particular species with a hilarious take on them called Shasay! Shantay! Growing Coleus from Seed. (Their spelling is off, but I'm not going to scold them.) The tone of the post is endearing and should be read. I applaud them for their audacity. It calls Coleus "the Divine Drag Queen of the Garden" to which I heartedly agree. "If your cat got into RuPaul's makeup bag, then chirped all over your yard." Yessss Grl. That image is exactly on point. The article is downright "cheeky."

Kong Rose

Coleus was first noted in 1853 in the mountains of Java by botanist Karl Blume. Their name was originally Coleus Blumei after him. The blog post then goes on to state that there are now more identities of the genus than identities of any female impersonator! I ordered types with names like Volcano, Superfine Rainbow, Fairway Orange and Giant Magma. I would say these qualify.

Now onto my seeds themselves. I don't think I have ever seen something so small. I thought Poppies and Rudbeckia were tiny.... these are microscopic. Each packet contained 50 seeds (I am sure they were not hand counted.) They so fragile, you are not to press them into the ground, just gently scatter them on the surface of the dirt and then allow water and light to permeate the seeds. I started with tweezers, then quickly realized the one-at-a-time method was futile. So, I scattered them into pods and the 50 seeds went quickly. They supposedly germinate in a matter of 15-21 days. I am about halfway through and waiting patiently. They do need both warmth and sunlight which has been a hard commodity in our MN April. The blog notes they are NOT easy germinators and may have stage fright if not exactly the right temperature or UV light. I may also be behind in that they ask for a good 8-week incubation before putting plants outside. But since 70℉ is ideal for the soil, I assume that bench mark is going to be a wait for us this season also. But I'm hoping this next stretch will bring them out in the open.

Special Effects

 Even if you do not go the route of seeds and pick up your own 4 or 6 pack, here are my tips from experience. Put them along borders or edges of your planters - they go for width and not height. Don't get matchy matchy with color tones. They are meant to hold their own and the shades should pop next to the other plants. I am also surprised at how much they grow - build that into the space. This year I plan to feature them on their own, so I am giving them plenty of room. Their stems are fleshy like an aloe or cactus. I often pinch them back as they sprawl into other flowers of your basket or pot, but as mentioned, I am going to let mine thrive into their own this year. At some point around July, they will start to revert to flowers so they can reproduce. The flower is hardly as big a bang as their showy leaves - so snip those tops off and encourage as much growth during a season as possible. I also tried to bring a few inside at the end of last season. But again, like a true Drag Queen Diva - they are tropical in nature and don't thrive outside of their natural spotlight in the full sun. Keep them near a sunny windowsill where they may survive, but at some point, they will retreat as wallflowers until the next tropical Summer.

All this just goes to say, if you are not a Fan or Follower of Coleus - you should be! Please read the Seeds Needs blogpost and check back for a summer update to see how I fared with my Giant Magma.

Shasy! Shantay! Growing Coleus from Seed:

 

Fuzzy Feathers

Trees of Life

Minneapolis and our Park Board has always been a symbol of civic pride. We also have a relatively new entity called the Green Project which looks at urban renewal and how all things "green" contribute to our livability. The two started a joint project back in 2019 that if I am reading correct, will span 25 years devoted to an urban tree program. 

I had first caught wind of it a year back via a newsletter. It makes Minneapolis the first city in Minnesota to participate in a National credit program. It is very detailed, but from what I can comprehend, it sounds as if a rebate type undertaking. Almost like a Forest version of Monopoly! Each tree planted in the city has a value; mainly based on their carbon footprint. In addition, each tree generates other perk points from stormwater interception, air pollution deflection and heat/ cooling energy. There are also "bonus points" for oxygen production, climate change reduction, benefitting wildlife and a handful of other smaller identified factors. If I understand this Carbon Offset Registry, individuals, organizations or corporations can "purchase" carbon credits to expand the green canopy in the city. Trees are reported and added to our total Minneapolis registry. I am not able to quantify what this means, but a carbon credit = one metric ton of CO2. This provides a pathway for companies who are aware they are making a carbon footprint but are willing to invest in a way to combat that footprint by purchasing trees which give back to the environment. I do also know our Downtown Minneapolis Council has qualifying language that every major project in the Downtown corridor has to incorporate some element of green space - whether it be a courtyard, fountains or atrium to steer our skyline away from pure steel and concrete.

There is some boiler plate language that alludes to not being able to "buy" your way out of polluting your own community. It is not a Get Out of Jail card, since these companies need to continue to reduce their own carbon footprint in addition to contributing to the general well-being of each city.

The Green Minneapolis webpage gives some basic insight, although the larger details are still beyond me. They speak of protocols and a timeline. But from the data I can read, in the first 3 of 25 years, it has contributed to 23,755 trees to our city scape. This contributes to the long-term goal of nearly 50,000 metric tons of CO2. I trust that Green Minneapolis has put much thought and calculation into the project with Protocols and a City Forest Credit data base. It may be a handful of mumbo jumbo. But I have to believe that climate change is real, quantifiable and that we are at least making a critical pact to offset it that will reach these 25 years into our renewable future. Tell me if you think it is worth the effort and funds?

Green Minneapolis Carbon Offset link

 

Floret Seeds

While working at Gertens, I was lucky to discover such great vendors of so many things "garden." One of the huge items in abundance are our choices for seeds. There are the common vintage companies like Burpee, Gurney & old Fredonia seeds. Some small sourcing from brands like Renee's Garden or a very special one like Hudson Valley with beautiful heirlooms. I love the Seed Exchange in IA which keeps a library of old and obsolete varieties; trying to bring them back into common circulation. This year brings me a new find...

Floret Flowers are a very small farm out of the Skagitt Valley in far North Washington state. I stumbled onto them via their Twitter Blog which offers great tips for cutting, planting and harvesting. So, I am taking a risk on them this summer for some hopefully, gorgeous blooms. I love their philosophy. I find it so nostalgic that the website shows this lovely family with children and chickens out in their fields. Everything is still grown in small batches. The farm started with roots to a grandparent's lot with a love of the land. And then grew into sharing their large harvest with friends who enjoyed these fresh gifts.

Their stock does not strive for exotic plants, but sticks with basics like Sweet Peas, Zinnias, Dahlias and Sunflowers among others. But they have spent more than a few years finding just the right varieties from other farms seeking to grow for cut flowers, that were aromatic, and had sturdy stems to look and smell fabulous in vases. They also have a vital mission of working with students for farm workshops and now share free video classes. The venture has continued to grow, and it is fascinating to read their weekly blog and see how they are literally casting out into the rest of the world. I find their work noble.

Each year I vouch not to deal with seeds again out of sheer disappointment! Rabbits & Squirrels digging them up, storms washing them out... So many obstacles to get them from that fragile little seed into something of beauty over the full season of harvest. But I was so taken with their product line I placed an order as well as some to share with family. I am hoping that July will bring some beautiful tall White Sunflowers, some bright coral and copper Zinnias, a favorite Earl Grey Larkspur and maybe even some soft Cherry Black-Eyed Susans. Please check out their wonderful products.

Floret Flower Farms: