Straw Bale Gardening

 Garden Center, Vegetable Gardening  No Responses »
May 102013
 

Barbara Whipple, Dundee Horticulturist

Straw bale gardening has been around for a long time, but has recently been rediscovered. I used straw bales to grow potatoes, hoping to fool the Colorado Potato Beetle, way back in the ‘70’s. It worked very well for a few years.

Today what appeals to many people is the raised bed aspect of gardening in a bale of straw. Raised beds save the back! For other people, with very few sunny spots in their yards, putting the bales in a driveway or on a deck, gives them the opportunity to grow fresh tomatoes when they thought they didn’t have the proper conditions. If you’ve thought you couldn’t grow your own vegetables, maybe straw bale gardening will change your mind.

The first step is to place the bales where you want them. They will not be moveable once you begin to water them. A bale could even tear apart if you tried to move it.

Now you can prepare the bales. The easiest way is to just water them for 3-4 weeks. You want the inside of the bale to begin decomposing and as it does so, it’ll heat up, enough to kill off any plants in it. So you have to wait until the bale has heated and cooled before you can plant.

If you want to speed up the time from acquiring to planting the bales, you can sprinkle a high nitrogen fertilizer such as blood meal on the bales and then water them very well. This method results in a wait of about ten days for the bale to cook and then cool. Each day for the first week sprinkle about a half cup of the fertilizer on each bale and water it in. On day seven cut back to one-fourth cup of fertilizer.  On day ten, quit the fertilizer but continue to water the bales. From day eleven onward, stick a fist into a bale to take its temperature. Hot! Not ready. Cool? You are safe to begin planting.

If you want to start seeds, you must make a seed bed about two to three inches deep on the top of the bale with seed starter mix. Then just follow the directions on the seed packet for that kind of crop.

If you are planting transplants, make an opening in the bale and insert a small amount of potting soil. Then arrange the transplant in the opening, up to its third and fourth leaf. Ease the roots apart just as you would when planting in garden soil.

You can grow whatever you want in straw bales, but you must water. Straw bales dry out faster than other kinds of containers, especially in hot weather. Through the middle of summer, expect to water twice a day, morning and evening. You’ll also need to fertilize since the bales provide no nutrition.  Choose a balanced garden fertilizer such as 10-10-10, which provides all the nutrients plants require. You can also fertilize with products such as fish emulsion, kelp extract and compost tea.

The hardest part of straw bales gardening is hefting the bales into place. The best part is, as with all gardening, the crop: juicy, flavorful tomatoes, fresh herbs for every meal of the day, green beans so delicious a three-year-old begs for them. And don’t forget about the flowers! Grow a few of them too.

Fairy Garden Ideas at Dundee

 Fairy Gardens, Floral, Garden Center, Miniature Gardens  No Responses »
Apr 152013
 
fairy_gardens_041113_02

fairy garden displays at Dundee Nursery - Plymouth, MNBarbara Whipple,

Dundee Horticulturist

 

When I was ten years old, I knew where every fairy, elf, troll, gnome, and general practioner of magic lived in my neighborhood.  Regularly I visited certain rocks, tree galls, bird baths, lily-of-the-valley colonies, shrub borders, and flower pots.  While I never actually caught a fairy, let alone a troll, I often saw the edges of a tiny pale pink dress, or the heel of a shoe made from hosta leaves.  And then I grew up and forgot all about that kind of magic.

A wonderful event comes to grown ups eventually: they get grandchildren and an opportunity to recover lost magic.  My granddaughter is now ten years old and with her, I can create a miniature fairy garden wonderland, welcoming to gnomes and elves too.  We can make a little garden in a pot, or a much larger one in a raised bed planter or right in a corner of the garden, depending on how many magic creatures you want to attract.

fairy garden displays at Dundee Nursery - Plymouth, MN

 

 

Through the winter our fairy garden has grown indoor types of house plants, from African violets to grape-leaf ivy to peperomia.  Anyfairy garden displays at Dundee Nursery - Plymouth, MN plant that will enjoy the light quality in your home, will do well in a indoor fairy garden.  If the fairies you want to attract need flowering plants, the begonias, kalanchoes, cyclamen, and bromeliads will do well indoors.

Once you can create an outdoor garden, whether in a container or the ground, you’ll find all kinds of tiny flowers, shrubs, evergreens, and miniature trees available in our greenhouse and garden center.  All of these will grow nicely in a general purpose potting soil, or your garden soil amended with some peat moss.

 

 

 

Of course, beyond the plants, there are many, many accessories available at Dundee to make your garden welcoming.  There are many different kinds of structures to house the fairies and we even have an outhouse (I think that’s for the gnomes!).  There are chairs and benches for them to sit in, pathways and bridges for them to walk along, trellises, and tiny pots, and shepherd hooks, and ducks, pigs and cows to play with them.  There’s even a waterfall which will surely attract fairies, who love the sound of running water more than anything else except new morning dew.

 

While we all wait for spring to arrive outside, why not bring a little bit of it into your life, and the lives of some magic people, with a fairy garden in a pot.  Just like plants, it can be transplanted outdoors once the season settles.  Dundee has everything you need to get started today.

fairy garden displays at Dundee Nursery - Plymouth, MN

Japanese Beetles

 Garden Center  No Responses »
Jul 122012
 

By Barbara Whipple, Dundee Nursery and Landscaping

 

Japanese Beetle image courtesy USDA

Japanese Beetle image courtesy USDA

I dread the first-of-the-season baggie or jar full of Japanese beetles that somebody brings to the Information Desk for me to identify.  With Japanese beetles, once they start, they go on for six to eight weeks.  And it’s that time, again…so-o-o, here’s what to do:

1.  You’ve got a few beetles on a few plants.  In this situation, just shake them off the plants into a bowl or pail of soapy water, or pick them off if needed.  The presence of a few beetles draws more so check your plants regularly.

2.  You have infested plants, a tree or vine or rose garden covered with beetles.  First, take your hose and spray as many beetles as you can off the plants.  Then come to Dundee for an insecticide such as “Eight,” a permethrin that kills insects on contact.

“Eight” is available as a ready-to-use, as a concentrate for use with your own sprayer, or as a concentrate with a hose-end spray attachment.  Check the plants regularly for new infestations because Japanese beetles fly in from anywhere up to 1,000 feet away.

3.   Every plant in your yard is infested with Japanese beetles.  See 2. above.  You might also be interested in a lists of plants the University of Minnesota says Japanese beetles are attracted to:

American linden

Mountain ash

Apple and crabapple

Birch

Norway maple

Cherry and plum trees

Roses

Hollyhocks

Grapes

Raspberries

Englemann and Boston ivy

If your yard is full of these plants, you might want to consider making a few changes to the following plants that the University says seldom attract Japanese beetles:

Oak

Red and Silver maple

Boxelder

Green ash

Poplar

Arborvitae

Fir

Hemlock

Juniper

Pine

Spruce

Yew

American elder

Common lilac

Euonymus

Rhododendron

While you aren’t going to cut down a beautiful, mature tree because it attracts beetles, you also don’t want a yard full of nothing but beetle attractors.  Roses need not be grouped together, making them easier for beetles to find, but may be mixed among other plants less attractive to the beetle.  Japanese beetles don’t like any evergreens, so think of ways to incorporate a variety of them in your landscape.  The insects may be more plentiful, but we are smarter.  We can use our knowledge to lessen the irritation insects present.

 

Hydrangeas at Dundee Nursery 2012

 Garden Center  No Responses »
Jul 062012
 

By Nate Hellzen, Nursery Supervisor, Dundee Nursery and Landscaping

Hydrangeas at Dundee Nursery 2012

Most people remember hydrangeas from their childhood, but today we’re falling in love with them all over again.  Over the last couple of years hydrangeas have made a large come back in the green industry.  Many new plants have been developed with larger, more colorful, and more profuse blooms.  Hydrangeas have become ideal shrubs for homeowners wanting to add an ornamental centerpiece to their landscapes.

 

At Dundee Nursery we have seen this excitement for new and improved hydrangea plants build over the last couple of years.  This is why we have added numerous varieties of hydrangeas to our nursery lot, allowing customers to choose from a larger selection and find that unique plant that will fit perfectly into their landscape plans.

 

Most hydrangeas do well in partial shade locations and like protection from the hot afternoon sun.   All hydrangeas need adequate moisture in order to thrive.  Hydrangeas can grow in full sun locations, but will require more moisture to deal with heat.

 

Some of the newest hydrangeas Dundee Nursery has added include the Endless Summer Series, which includes the ‘Original,’ ‘Twist-n-Shout,’ and ‘Bella Anna’ Hydrangeas.  Each of these provides customers with, as the name “Endless Summer” implies, blooms lasting throughout the summer ranging in color from light blues and purples to vibrant pinks.  Other new hydrangeas include some paniculata varieties.  Paniculatas are named for their panicle-shaped blooms.  The blooms develop vibrant pink hues as they age.  Some new paniculatas include ‘Quickfire,’ ‘Pinky Winky,’ ‘Fire and Ice,’ and ‘Little Lime’.

 

Many people have heard the saying “Oldie but Goodie.”  The Annabelle Hydrangea fits this perfectly, having been around for many years and providing homeowners with those large, can’t-forget, white flower heads.   The ‘Incrediball’ Hydrangea is a new hydrangea that has been developed to have stronger, sturdier stems so they don’t flop over as much as the Annabelle.  It’s also good to mention that the blooms could reach 12” across providing larger blooms then the old fashioned Annabelle.

 

With numerous hydrangea varieties available today, feel free to stop into Dundee Nursery today and ask our friendly staff to help find the perfect hydrangea for your landscape.

Creating a Planter That Reflects You!

 Garden Center  No Responses »
Jun 212012
 
Creating a Planter That Reflects You!

By Laura Hughes, Greenhouse Supervisor, Dundee Nursery and Landscaping   Creating beautiful annual planters is not a science, but rather a work of art that reflects you!  I always start by determining my light conditions (sun vs. shade) and the color scheme I want to use.  Then I consider the symmetry to use by asking [...]

Control the Spread of Emerald Ash Borer

 Garden Center  No Responses »
Apr 282012
 
Control the Spread of Emerald Ash Borer

By John Henning, Buyer, Dundee Nursery and Landscaping   Hello again!  I hope the change to normal spring temps has not discouraged anyone from continuing to enjoy your yards and gardens. Something we should remember to do again this spring is to try and control the spread of Emerald Ash Borer.  We don’t hear much [...]

New Garden Center Products for Spring

 Garden Center  1 Response »
Apr 122012
 
New Garden Center Products for Spring

By Gill Landis, Sales and Marketing Manager, Dundee Nursery and Landscaping   Spring is the time of year when all of us in the garden center are excited for sun, warmth, plants and new stuff.  Nothing symbolizes this more than our Annual Spring Expo coming up this Saturday and Sunday, April  14th and 15th.  With [...]

Pruning Woody Plants

 Garden Center, Landscape Design  1 Response »
Mar 292012
 
Pruning Woody Plants

By Elise Eide   This wonderful March weather Minnesota is experiencing has everyone itching to get out into their yards for a little spring cleaning.  When it comes to pruning woody plants there are a few things to keep in mind.  First, what can you prune at this time?  At this time of year plants [...]

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