A receding Arctic blast reminds us that Spring thaw is many weeks away. It’s evident when trying to retrieve a bit of last season’s potting soil for a houseplant. It’s stored outdoors. Not only is the loose potting soil frozen solid, but the scoop is hard frozen in the mixture too! We can still think … Continue reading
Tagged with gardening …
Your Flowers for the Season
If you like to grow flower starter plants or think about your first greenhouse selections, seed catalogs are helpful as you plan for the new season. We all have inclinations with color and foliage. Part of the fun with plants is making your choices. At Plant Exchange Blog, you might guess we like yellow flowers. … Continue reading
Flowers on a Cold, Foggy Day
Thinking about annual flowers for summer really fits this cold, foggy day in winter. The Four O’Clocks and Zinnias were from the garden here at Plant Exchange Blog. Sometimes just a new twist on an annual we’ve grown successfully for years is just what we are looking for next season. That seems to be the … Continue reading
Bouquet of Ideas
It’s a snowy day at Plant Exchange Blog. The kind of day to think about the yard and flowerbeds for next season and enjoy a peony bouquet of ideas. Below is a suburban city lot in the Midwest. The homeowner skillfully created a soil berm in the flat yard that displays all the flowerbed plants … Continue reading
Search for Beautiful Plants that Grow Well Here
Some people like to discover their own new plants. They choose them from seed company catalogs or websites providing seeds nationwide. They read the general growing tips, choose a plant and see what happens when they grow it locally. Some people use the recommendations of regional nursery personnel who have tried many new plants. Some … Continue reading
What’s Global Warming to Lilacs?
Lilacs in bloom across northern states are a reliable marker of spring. The common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) is so predictable in the plant’s adjustment to seasonal conditions before it presents its spring bloom, that lilacs have been studied nationally since the 1970’s as a harbinger of spring. Here’s a photo from this spring of local … Continue reading
Change of Season
First frost reminds us that change of season is underway. Some leaves have fallen and others are changing colors in this last half of October. A few houseplants return directly indoors. This potted camelia already began blooming outdoors under the magnolia tree where it spent the summer. Some other kinds of camelia will bloom later and are … Continue reading
Wayne’s Hobby Garden
We look for what adds dimension and a bit of passion to an ordinary day. Wayne Nelson-Stastny says his vegetable and ornamental gardening hobby adds to his mind, body, and spirit. The way he chooses to garden, he is involved in it most of the year. His plans for the garden include seeds from many cultures. … Continue reading
Dependable Woodland Tobacco
As the growing season ends, some plants have contributed extra for their part in the flower garden. Here, one of them is Woodland Tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris). It’s is an ornamental plant that grows as a direct-seeded annual in this region. It’s a member of the Nightshade family (Solanaceae) that contains potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant. Its origins … Continue reading
Flower Photo Keepsakes
It’s Fall at Plant Exchange Blog! Just the time of season to savor flowers in the yard, admire their beauty and perhaps photograph a few to see the rest of the year. Tim Schreiner of Vermillion likes flowers is a South Dakota Master Gardener Intern and a professional photographer by trade. We invite him to … Continue reading
