Filed under Flowers

What Draws Us to Gardening?

Experiencing Nature’s palette unfold is part of gardening for some of us. Winter is receding, and spring appears to have arrived. The contrast of winter native grass and new green grass at the Lewis & Clark Recreation Area shows this well for me. Nature still provides winter food for wildlife as other plants around us … Continue reading

Plant Environmental Defenses

Cool spring temperatures have delayed the arrival of transplants to some area garden centers. Before the rush to pick young flower and vegetable plants, some pointers from a horticulturist might be helpful in selecting plants that improve plant growth and production. The survival strategies of the plants you choose impact their growth and affect how … Continue reading

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day–April 15th

Welcome to Plant Exchange Blog on the Northern Plains, USDA hardiness 4b-5a. Spring can be fickle in this temperate climate, with up-and-down temperatures and sometimes inadequate rains to meet seasonal needs. Given these variables, I am grateful to see perennials that overwinter and rise again in spring. Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) are one of the favorites among early … Continue reading

A Plant and a Pollinator Study

Angiosperms, or flowering plants, have been evolving or making long-term adaptations to environmental changes for millions of years. The interaction of flowering plants and their pollinators is of commercial interest worldwide as honeybees and their production decline. Today’s topic is a study that begins to show evidence that ties environmental changes to pollinators and their … Continue reading

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day–March 15th

Welcome to pre-Spring on the Northern Plains at Plant Exchange Blog (USDA 4b-5a). We refer to the Hardiness Zone as a range due to the variable open range to protected areas. Erratic conditions, from thirty-degree temperature drops in a day to strong, dry winds and sun scalding, challenge plants that overwinter.  The genus Helleborus x hybridus, … Continue reading

Horticulture Leader Recognized

Soon, we will be looking for quality plants for our home gardens. Last summer, I sought red petunias that would attract the hummingbirds that have nested nearby for the past three years. The season before, I was disappointed that the birds avoided the sale petunias I had chosen, but luckily, they visited other flowers on … Continue reading

Starting Seeds to Transplant Outdoors

One way to acquire Rudbeckia hirta ‘Prairie Sun’ for the garden is to grow it from seeds at home. A benefit of starting seeds yourself instead of purchasing the transplants from the greenhouse is that seed catalogs offer additional variety and disease protection choices. Watching germination and early growth of plants adds to the gardening experience for some. … Continue reading

Hellebores are Signs of Spring

Spring approaches and recedes with high temperatures above 60 degrees F. and snow flurries predicted. A cottonwood tree by the river has promising buds, and arrows of snow geese have begun angling north. By 10:00AM, after an overnight frost on these pre-spring days, the sun has warmed all but the shadows of trees. In our … Continue reading

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day-February 15th

Welcome to Plant Exchange Blog on the snow-covered Northern Plains  (USDA Zones 4b-5a) with northwest winds topping 37 degrees F.. Indoors, one of my favorite houseplants is featured for its foliage and flowers. As winter wanes, we anticipate new hybrids being introduced in plant catalogs. Their availability years from now depends on many factors, including continuing … Continue reading

Do We Change Gardening with a Warmer Environment?

Gardeners use the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to find perennial plants that will “likely thrive” in your zip code. Check your updated USDA hardiness zone at https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov. In South Dakota, mainly the top half of the state is now 4b, hardy -25 to -20 degrees F.  The bottom half of the state is now 5a, hardy … Continue reading