Welcome to arrested bloom development in South Dakota at Plant Exchange Blog. We’ve had a few warm spring days and the first pollinators have enjoyed Hellebores or Lenten Rose. Recent snow and freezing temperatures slowed the insects more than these hardy blooms. Daffodils are yet to bloom. Digging out from over 10 inches of snow … Continue reading
Filed under Container Gardens …
Landscape Designer’s Yard
How people make their yards one-of-a-kind, is amazing. At a regional Garden Writers Association tour held in western Michigan last summer, Cami Geschwendt, a professional landscape designer, showed her private suburban yard. Trees, perennials, flowers and sculptures are dominant elements in her design. Let’s take a peek: Among the pansies, a sculpture container wears a … Continue reading
An Indoor Accent Plant–Fiddle Leaf Fig
Houseplants dress our homes like containers of flowers highlight an area or echo a theme outdoors. Trees and shrubs may be the anchors in an outdoor room, but indoors, large plants can assume that role. Fiddle Leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) can be the anchor for a room full of houseplants. Welcome to Plant Exchange Blog. … Continue reading
New Seeds Gardeners Might Try
Maybe this spring you’d like to try a few new seeds for the garden. With the energy building for the new season, we’d like to make smart choices. All-America Selections (AAS) is a non-profit organization that asks horticulture professionals to field test new flower and vegetable seeds throughout the country. Our region is called the … Continue reading
Days of Solitude
One of the features of the Northern Plains is days of solitude. I started a stroll around the yard, feeling the burden of a snowy day. There lay the outline of yarrow in snow I had hadn’t noticed all winter. Silent birdhouse by one of the deer trails. Snow is heavy on the spruce, but … Continue reading
Elements of a Welcoming Home Entrance
How do we create more inviting front entrances for our homes? Let’s tour the front entrance of Andy and Jen Holst to see how they applied their creativity to making their front entrance welcoming. Their yard was a part of the Master Gardener garden tour last summer. Their yard in Yankton has an intimate front … Continue reading
Swiss Chard, a Tasty Winter Treat Indoors
In winter, it is hard to find purchased greens that maintain freshness very long and are tasty. Swiss chard has a mild flavor and is easy to grow indoors, especially if started in late fall for a winter crop. Related to beets, Swiss chard is a member of Amaranthaceae that originated in the Mediterranean. Swiss … Continue reading
A Change at the Nurseries
We celebrate this year at Plant Exchange Blog with a story about a grown son, Mike Gurney, who chooses to come back to his home town to try the family horticulture business. His family name is associated with his grandfather five generations ago, who brought knowledge about how to grow apple and other fruit trees to … Continue reading
Season Favorites
About four inches of snow fell overnight; a reminder that Fall wanes as the holidays approach. Just thinking about a few moments of the past season. The half on/half off leaves of our Japanese maple was a marker for yesterday. A year ago, an early Fall cold event caused the leaves to turn from green … Continue reading
Flowers Attract People
Even in a city without a hurried pace, it’s a challenge to get people to slow down to see a storefront’s display the business offers. Rita Houska doesn’t sell flowers in her store, but the flowers at the front and employee entrances of her business allow her and anyone to see something beautiful as they … Continue reading
