Gardening With the Masters Annual Spring Event Saturday, April 13, 2019 8:30 am to 3:30 pm Schroeder Auditorium at Sanford USD Medical Center Sioux Falls, SD Minnehaha Master Gardeners are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the Gardening With the Masters Annual Spring Event! We have a fantastic line-up of six great … Continue reading
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day Feb 15th
Welcome to Plant Exchange Blog at USDA Zone 4-5a. In mid-February, It’s 5 degrees F. today, cloudy, with a chance of snow. Indoors the herbaceous perennial African violet has had continuous blooms for the past month. The African violet genus Saintpauliahas about 20 species and is not a violet. It originated in the tropics of … Continue reading
Plant Bits
It’s a cold day in the Dakotas, but a great day to do catch up reading here at Plant Exchange Blog. These are some garden-related topics on attracting more butterflies in the yard, like this monarch on Agastache. Also there’s an item on free leaf mulch, attracting more kinds of birds and a possible perennial … 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
Lewis & Clark Recreation Area Pollinator Plots and Tree Update
Now is a fine time to plan flowers for pollinators. Maybe the hobby wildflower grower will find some tips here. At Lewis & Clark Recreation Area, two 3-acre pollinator plots are at the entrance to the state park. This past early July, the plots were filled with native wildflowers and native grasses. In this mid-summer … 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
Butterflies in the House
Last September Jay and Mike Gurney and Cathy Weiss of Yankton Nurseries chatted about the weather of the 2018 growing season and related oddities. They hadn’t seen many butterflies until the end of the season, especially swallowtails and monarchs. Arriving butterflies became quite busy around the nursery, gathering nectar and pollen. As a curiosity to … Continue reading
Origami in the Garden
We at Plant Exchange Blog send you wishes for peace in 2019. “Rising Cranes” by Kevin Box is displayed in nature in a garden at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Spring, 2018. The origami is made of powder-coated cast stainless steel on steel. Cranes are associated with peace around the world.
Up a Tree
Creative teen and landscape designer find unsightly wind-damaged tree solution. 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
