Fall in Minnesota is known for warm days, cool nights, changing leaves that color the landscape with golds, oranges, reds, and greens, trips to local apple orchards, crackling bonfires, comfortable hoodies and jeans, and mugs of hot apple cider. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? It is, but this time period goes by so quickly. Within a few short weeks, the trees will be empty of their leaves, heavy frosts will put the fall garden to bed, and the sun will no longer be strong enough to heat the cold winds blowing from the north. Fall is bittersweet – it is fleeting. Before we know it, we will be thrown into our six months of winter (not the three months that our calendars indicate). As I sit by my computer, staring out the window, I see the gold-colored leaves that are delicately edged with pops of red, rustling in the cool October breeze. They continue to fall, blanketing the perennials beneath the temporary canopy that will be gone within a week. Birds are darting in and out of the tree looking for insects… …and hunting in the gardens for seeds. The fall-blooming perennials are alive with blooms of all shapes and colors as the painted lady suns herself on the New England aster. I enjoy all that fall has to offer, even if it is foreshadowing what is to come. Even if I do so with a little bit of sadness. The Fall Garden A Painted Lady among phlox. Yellow mums, vibrant under the weakening rays of a fall sun, The warm smells of crispy leaves and hydrangea flowers. Fleeting pleasures. The garden is tired, It is struggling through frosty nights, Weary after a season of blooms, perfumes, and exotic shows. Lethargic bumble bees creep slowly up faded flowers Determined to eat their last meal. Frost crystals on leaves sparkle like millions of diamonds Deceiving the observer. Death disguised as beauty. Petals fall. Leaves wilt. Stems break. Only the little faces of the New England aster are alert and knowing. Only the butterfly fluttering among phlox Realizes that she won’t migrate on time. Her time is also fleeting. Then you arrive, And you are lethargic like the bumblebee, And your beauty is fleeting like the flowers. Like the butterfly, You know you can’t make the migration. But your roots run deep. Even though the soft, white snow will cover everything Sending the fall garden into a long winters sleep, Buds on branches promise the return of life. The roses will bloom again, And the Stargazer lilies will drench the air with their perfume, And I will think of you.
Seasonal
A Flowering Lawn: Bees and Dandelions
A flowering lawn is not something that most people see as being beautiful or positive. When my husband and I had our first child we decided to forgo the fertilizer that treated the pesky dandelions, crab grass and creeping charlie because we didn’t want our little one crawling on chemicals. This was hard for me as I grew up in a family that was proud of our lush lawn that was dark green, weed-free, and manicured. In fact, I remember my father paying me one cent per dandelion to dig up the buttery-yellow flowering plants. Those dandelion tap roots were definitely a chore to dig out. Little did I know that the weeds we were treating, digging out, and eradicating were some of the most important flowers of the spring! If you watch the news, read the newspaper, or follow any type of social media, you have probably been informed of one or more of the problems facing the bee population, not only in the United States, but across the world. You may have read about the declination of bees, Colony Collapse Disorder (a phenomenon where the worker bees abandon a colony and leave all of the honey, the queen bee, and a few nurse bees to care for the young), or pesticide poisoning of bees. The University of Minnesota pinpoints three reasons for the decline in the number of bees and why this matters: Why the decline in bees? Flowerless yards that lack plant diversity. Pesticide use such as the neonicotinoids. Diseases (Israeli Acute Paralysis virus and Nosema) and parasites (varroa mite). Why does this matter? Over 70% of our flowering plants depend on bees and other pollinators to reproduce. Pollinated plants grow more than 30% of our food and beverages. About $29 billion in U.S. farm income is generated by bees and other pollinators. Back to those pesky (or beautiful) dandelions. Dandelions are often the very first meal bees consume after they sleepily awake from their winter hibernation because dandelions are one of the first flowers to bloom profusely in the spring, especially in cool northern climates. Bees need quick nourishment after they emerge, and dandelions provide just that! Dandelions provide both protein (pollen) and carbohydrate (nectar). Did you know that bees can smell dandelions from a mile away? What should you do about all of those dandelions in your yard? I can see you cringing right now. Yes, let those dandelions grow! If you do this, you will be saving yourself money each year and saving plants and critters alike. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Homeowners use up to 10 times more chemical pesticides per acre on their lawns than farmers use on crops, and they spend more per acre, on average, to maintain their lawns than farmers spend per agricultural acre. Surprising, isn’t it? All of these pesticides are leached into the ground, get washed into creeks, lakes, and/or drains, and can even travel long distances by rain or fog, which is called non-point source pollution. Nearly eight years is the time it took me, after we chose to stop fertilizing our lawn, to accept dandelions (and creeping charlie, and violets, and thistle) growing happily in our lawn. I have to say that my family and I thoroughly enjoy and look forward to those first flowers opening up and greeting us in the spring. Just a few days ago, my son, daughter, and I went out to see which insects were enjoying the feast of dandelions in our front yard. We spent nearly an hour observing many different types of bees, ants, and hoverflies ingesting the nectar (carbohydrate) and pollen (protein) of the dandelions. The cherry blossoms, pear blossoms, and apple blossoms on our fruit trees were also covered with bees, thanks to the dandelions for luring the bees here in the first place. A perfect example of sustainable agriculture. What can we do as homeowners to help boost the bee population? Well, there are multiple things: Do not use insecticides or pesticides and choose to buy plants from nurseries that use bee-friendly ways to eliminate pests. Plant bee-friendly plants. Accept or even enjoy a flowering lawn. Do your part in supporting our bees by embracing a flowering lawn. See the lists below for other dandelion facts and other flowers you can plant in your yard to support the bees all season long. I leave you with a picture of my dog, Brook. She also loves the sea of dandelions in our front yard! Dandelion Facts Dandelions are good for top soil. Dandelions have long tap roots that take nutrients from underneath the top soil, such as calcium, and brings that nutrients to the top soil. Other plants that have shallow roots benefit from the nutrients dandelions bring up. Dandelion tap roots help to aerate the soil and help reduce erosion. The entire dandelion plant is edible. Dandelion leaves taste like arugula, the leaves are best when they are picked before the plant blooms. Use the blossoms to make dandelion wine. Dandelions are very healthy to eat (as long as they haven’t been sprayed or fertilized). The greens contain vitamins C and B6, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, iron, potassium, and manganese, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper. Plants That Bees Love Bloom Time Aruncus dioecus or goatsbeard Mid Agastache or licorice plant Mid-to-late Asclepias or butterfly weed
Perennials: Spring Snow
Here in Minnesota, we never know what Mother Nature will bring us throughout the year. We almost hit 70F in February, and now at the end of April, we woke up to a dusting of snow that lightly covered our awakening perennials. I guess the weather is one thing that keeps Minnesotans on their toes. But, drastic change in temperatures can also cause a gardener angst. There is hardly a year that goes by that Minnesotans don’t see a spring snowfall. Just a few years ago we had snow after what was supposed to be our last frost date (early May for central MN). When spring snowfalls happen, I’m always sure to receive a phone call from a client or two asking what they should do to protect their emerging perennials, or if I think their plants will be okay. Good news! Perennials are tough little buggers. They want to survive. And, if perennials are considered hardy in the zone they are planted in, spring bloomers should be a-okay. Should you cover plants if a freeze or a snow is expected in the spring? It depends! The perennials that bloom in the spring, such as daffodils, tulips, magnolias, hyacinths, and the like are cold-tolerant and can handle a light freeze and even snow without being covered. If you have plants that have already leafed out and tend to be a little more touchy to freezing temperatures, such as hosta, you may want to cover them with a light sheet. Now, if you’ve gone to a garden center (where many of the plants they sell are blooming ahead of time due to being grown in a greenhouse) and have just planted a perennial that is blooming ahead of time of it’s usual time, those blooms can be a little more fragile in freezing temperatures, and you will probably want to cover them. This is especially important if your perennial is a fruit or vegetable plant. Blooms on fruit and vegetable plants tend to be touchy to freezing temps, and if the blooms die off, this could ultimately prohibit any kind of fruiting later in the growing season. For the most part, early blooming perennials will be just fine in cold temperatures and snow, as long as they are planted in the correct zone. If you wake up to a late spring snowfall, don’t fret, but head outside and take a moment to discover how beautiful your spring flowers look with a little snow dusting their delicate petals. A definite treat to the eyes!