Loess Hills Wild Ones 2020 Seed Exchange2:30 to 4 p.m., Sunday, October 18, 2020Sertoma Park – the large open-air shelter4225 S Lancelot Lane; Sioux City, IA 51106 Loess Hills Wild OnesHealing the Earth one yard at a time.https://www.facebook.com/LoessHillsWildOnes The LHWO 2020 Seed Exchange is Sunday, October 18! Ready to plan your garden for next season? … Continue reading
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day October 15th
Welcome to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day in South Dakota. Color is dominant now, but ranges from the subtle of native sumac… to the bold sun-filled cottonwood tree rising on the left of the photo. Native grasses such as little bluestem and others glow in mass at the entrance to Lewis & Clark Recreation Area by … Continue reading
Celebrating Fall
At Plant Exchange blog, let’s celebrate a relaxing weekend together in early fall with nature’s paintbrush of yellow and red on October 12th, Native American Day in South Dakota. Fall Moment On our rare Monday morning walk, deep blue asters salute orange flames of Indian grass along the Missouri River breaks deer path. Parting big … Continue reading
Nasturtium Late Bloomers
We love showy flowers that grow from seed within the season. Nasturtiums are easy to grow and maintain under the wide range of conditions on the Northern Plains. At Plant Exchange, nasturtiums grow beautifully into fall, when long season plants look weary. It’s also the right timing for them. Tiny white butterfly caterpillars associated with … Continue reading
Transition to Fall
Today, let’s look at plants in transition on the Northern Plains, here at Plant Exchange blog. Trees are beginning to turn fall colors. Sunflowers are still in bloom at the edge of fields, in flowerbeds, and containers. Pollinators enjoy Agastache and other flowers in bloom. We begin to bring in plants that overwinter indoors about … Continue reading
Watch for Fall Color
Welcome to the beginning of Fall, arriving now in our region. In this view of the breaks along the Missouri River, deciduous trees and shrubs are beginning to change color. The thing is, this happens whether we notice or not. Trees and shrubs that lose their leaves in preparation for winter, have leaves with green pigment … Continue reading
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day September 15th
As you might guess from the image of our blog, the indigenous and hardy sunflowers are prominent at Plant Exchange blog. Our USDA growing zone is 4-5a, and we have had an early near frost, about a month early. Today the temperature climbs to 88 degrees F., and we’ve had many days of dry winds … Continue reading
Flowering Tobacco
One of this season’s best performing plants is Nicotiana or flowering tobacco. Once planted in spring, a little supplemental water is all that is required. Here it grows pest-free. It is an ornamental relative of N. tabacum that is grown for tobacco production. The lightly fragrant flowers bloom the second half of summer after seedlings are planted outdoors … Continue reading
Sunflowers Grow Here
Sunflowers grow naturally on this whole continent. These are sunflowers planted by nature along the Missouri River west of Yankton, South Dakota. Historically, Native Americans in Central and North America grew sunflowers for flour, oil, and other food. Today in Canada and the Northern Plains of the United States, farmers grow them to be processed … Continue reading
Tomatoes are Ripe
Waiting for the first garden-ripened tomatoes for sandwiches is worth the anticipation! Twice this week! Plenty of bacon, lettuce, mayo, and a tomato slice that covers the bread, and extra napkins for the juice, fit the meal. Full-size tomatoes are the last to ripen fruits or vegetables in this garden. They are a versatile staple … Continue reading
