A reader shares a tip about seed-starting with benefits anytime you plant this season. An article on design for outdoor container gardens has a practical bent. An overlooked ironwood tree is highlighted. All subjects in the June 2023 Fine Gardening magazine are available for browsing at the Yankton Community Library. We bring our twist to today’s Plant Exchange Blog. >>>Tiny seeds can be hard … Continue reading
Filed under Dibbles And Bits …
Dibbles and Bits
Inching toward warm spring days, we look at right plant choices for the right location with native origin plant examples. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pupurea) is a drought-tolerant perennial of the daisy family that grows from a tap root. Echinacea is native to eastern and central North America prairieland open woods and is common in yards of … Continue reading
Dibbles and Bits
With additional snow cover locally, the USDA average last frost date (April 27th- May 3rd in this region) is not top of mind. Before planting, we consider spring drought preparations, a drought-tolerant bee balm, and what’s left at the low water mark. Drought may continue into spring in this area, and lawn grass displays a lack … Continue reading
Citrus Winter Treat
Where’s the fun on this snowy winter day? For local turkeys, the birdfeeders are empty, so they keep on looking for something new. At Plant Exchange blog in the dead of winter, we crave the stored sunshine and Vitamin C of citrus fruits and like discovering more about them. Sumo Mandarin is a special treat, … Continue reading
Dibbles and Bits
This week, we’re considering two of the many amazing features of plants—adaptability to where they are planted and drawing pollinators. Specialized plant roots help bulbs and corms grow at the correct depth. Tulips are a spring favorite and many were planted earlier this fall in our region. Guides are helpful to find the correct depths … Continue reading
Dibbles and Bits
Parks, leaf color, and busy wild turkeys are topics today at Plant Exchange Blog as Autumn transition continues. Parks may add an important nature experience because more than 83% of Americans live in a city. Brooklyn Bridge Park of 85 acres along New York City’s East River is featured in the September/October 2022 Horticulture Magazine. Landscape challenges included … Continue reading
Dibbles and Bits
Topics for Plant Exchange Blog include the benefits of a clay plant container, Bayer and glyphosate, and the American Horticultural Society that helped develop hardiness and heat zone maps for gardeners. Porous pots such as clay can help maintain water flow for potted plants. Plants need adequate soil moisture, with the excess water leaving the container … Continue reading
Dibbles and Bits
We’re looking at winter interest, rewilding, and season wind-down for today’s Plant Exchange. ***Nearly mid-December, the first “shoveling” flips the landscape into contrasts we haven’t seen for a year. Now the red hues of Little Bluestem and Miscanthus appear against white snow cover. Snowcaps adorn the spent golden yarrow from summer. No wonder this is … Continue reading
Where Do Tomatoes Originate?
Welcome to a couple of “Dibbles and Bits” at Plant Exchange blog. The first is about the origin of tomatoes, followed by what influences the Ginkgo tree to live so long. The quest for the tastiest and then largest tomato is part of the garden season lore. Finding the “roots” of tomatoes may help in … Continue reading
Would You Like to Try a Garden Cover?
Spring is here! The first naturalized daffodil to bloom! The weather beckons to start the garden season on the Northern Plains. Likely ahead, at least a month, is unsettled weather with gusty winds, roller coaster temperatures, and grab-a-book-and read-outside days. Maybe you’d like to consider a garden cover for some root vegetables in early spring. Garden … Continue reading
Plant Exchange Blog 