Welcome to Plant Exchange where we share about plants of the Northern Plains and people who grow them. Please join us for a winter walk. A fine thing about winter is how much easier it is to pay attention outdoors. Distractions of colors are few. In fact, outdoors now is more about hues of neutral. … Continue reading
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Butterfly Weed 2017 Perennial of the Year
This week at Plant Exchange, we feature a plant that grows well, once established, in gardens of the region. It’s a low maintenance perennial that attracts lots of pollinators. Cheery orange of butterfly weed attracts humans and pollinators to our gardens. Dr. David Graper, horticulturalist at South Dakota State University, shares information about a … Continue reading
Time for Quiet
Winter in South Dakota allows for moments of quiet if we take them. Recently we’ve had ice and snow that temporarily block travel and slow the days. Enjoy them with us. These goldenrod are now bejeweled. So are native switchgrass. Trees get crowns as well. When it snows long, Eastern red cedar turn into fanciful … Continue reading
Deck Container Plants
Container gardening enables us to vary colors and change the area of focus by moving pots. Containers can be placed in the right location for sunlight in our yard. We can grow plants in containers when we don’t have flowerbed space. Plants can be grown on protected decks in pots where they would be lunch … Continue reading
Spring Plant Tips
With the expanded planting season, comes the chance to spend a little more time preparing for the season. Diane Dickes of Diane’s Greenhouse in Fordyce, Nebraska has suggestions that compound your gardening efforts. See her tips at this link: http://www.yankton.net/river_city/article_bd857a84-1331-11e6-9d57-e7920698dbc7.html
Imagine And Then Build It
Ruby Goeden of Yankton has enjoyed her flowerbeds and antique farm implement theme gardening for years. Her interest in creative woodworking yielded many birdhouses, hotels, and miniature gardens and now such as the crèche you see below. Here’s a design she created with ornamental birdhouses and hyacinth bean vine and petunias. When she tired of … Continue reading
Color Your Landscape
Debbie Roberts of Yankton knows about color, texture, placement of plants for impact and detail. Here she combines Irish moss and her ceramic birds for a container of detail among others of color. Tell us your successes with container plants. Debbie’s story is here: http://www.yankton.net/river_city/article_5a189276-742b-11e3-b798-001a4bcf887a.html
Houseplant Tips
Jan Byrkeland, manager of Hy-Vee Floral in Yankton, makes a point about winter care of the average houseplant that is often overlooked: Due to quality and amount of light in winter, most houseplants have slower growth than at other times of the year. Reduced growth should impact our care of houseplants over the winter. See … Continue reading
Nurseryman’s Spare Time With Plants
Jay Gurney, nurseryman at Yankton Nurseries, spends a lot of time with people or working in the greenhouse or field or in other aspects of his business. Let’s look at what he does with plants in spare time. He’s a fan of succulents and cacti because they are so different in their water and other … Continue reading
Nurseryman’s Spare Time With Plants
Jay Gurney, nurseryman at Yankton Nurseries, enjoys a challenge with plants, such as growing these cacti from seed. He learned how to maintain an environment for cacti to germinate and grow. See his tips below. Please share comments if you wish. Don’t forget to share Plant Exchange with others. http://www.yankton.net/river_city/article_ec72a00e-3771-11e3-82b8-001a4bcf887a.html