< Back What Can Alliums Do For Your Garden? As fall approaches, you might be thinking about planting bulbs that will provide you with a beautiful display in the spring. In this article, Marjory Blare explains why you should consider planting Alliums for that purpose. You may be familiar with varieties of allium used for cooking (for example, onion, garlic, scallion). But there are many ornamental alliums with many different features and colors. Read this article to learn more about the virtues of alliums. Marjory Blare, Master Gardener As fall approaches, you might be thinking about planting bulbs that will provide you with a beautiful display in the spring. You might consider planting Alliums for that purpose. You’ll be surprised at the range and variety of these members of the onion family. Alliums are plants that are in the onion family. Included in that family are the cultivated onion , garlic , scallion , shallot , leek , and chives . But, in addition to these tasty varieties there are many ornamental alliums. Alliums are a valuable addition to any garden because they are attractive to pollinators and they are close to pest-free. Rabbits, squirrels and deer don’t like them. They occasionally get downy mildew and allium leaf miners, but that’s about it for disease problems. Alliums are drought, heat and cold tolerant. They do need well-drained soil because if they sit in soggy soil, they will rot. They need full to part sun, and aren’t too picky about pH, although slightly acid is preferable. Some varieties are hardy to USDA zone 3! Various species can bloom every season except winter. You’ll find many varieties in on-line catalogs. For more about growing Alliums look at this article in The Spruce. Allium foliage will yellow and die, (sometimes before the blossoms are done), but you can plant them in a ground cover or among Hostas to hide them. Plant bulbous varieties in the fall, the shallow-rooted varieties such as chives (A. schoenoprasum) can be divided any time. Plant Alliums as surprise ‘pops’ of color throughout the garden, or in rows for a formal effect. Alliums grow well in container gardens – plant them in the fall, leave them out all winter, and they grow in the spring! Unlike some perennials, most Allium will bloom the first year. When planting, don’t let the bulbs touch each other. Plant at a depth that is three times the diameter of the bulb, and a bit of bone meal in the planting hole helps. Leaves of Allium can range from slender round blades to broad and flat, and they can be green to blue-green. Flowers range in color from yellow (A. moly) and white (A. karativiense ‘Ivory Queen’ which has broad flat blue green leaves) and on through the spectrum of pink to deep violet. There is even a blue one (A. caeruleum). The shapes of the flowers can be ball-shaped ( Allium aflatunense ), or egg-shaped (A. sphaerocephalon), nodding (A. cernum), or a display that looks like fireworks (A. schubertii)! Sizes range from the inches-tall fairy/alpine-garden sized (A. oreophilum), all the way up to the giant ‘Globe Master’ (A. giganteum) which can get up to 4 feet tall! In addition to all of the above, there are many Alliums native to Minnesota: 1) A. canadense (Wild Garlic, Meadow Garlic) 2) A. cernum (Nodding Wild Onion) 3) A. schoenprasum (Chinese chives) 4) A. stellatum (Wild Prairie Onion) 5) A. textile (White Wild Onion) 6) A. tricoccum (Wild Leek, aka Ramps or Three Seeded Leek) 7) A. tubersoum (Garlic Chives) 8) A. ursinum (Bear Garlic) Allium have many virtues, interesting traits and colors; play around with them when you design or update your garden. Have Fun! Photo Credits: Marjory Blare (1, 2, 3), Dreamstime (4)

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< Back Garden Alchemy Many gardeners love a good cookbook for the bounty we grow. But what about recipes for good gardening itself? Garden Alchemy by Stephanie Rose (of Garden Therapy) brings us recipes for all kinds of DIY gardening - from soil & fertilizer to propagation and natural pest management. Read on for a review of this great guide, including 80 “recipes and concoctions!” Stephanie Rose Reviewed by Sarah Heidtke, Dakota County Master Gardener Garden Alchemy covers a wide range of natural solutions for indoor and outdoor gardening. Free plants by propagating root cuttings? Yes, please - see page 49! Houseplant tea, anyone? How about a great primer on worm food and compost? Minnesota gardeners can certainly appreciate natural pest management to bring in the birds, bees and bugs we want while deterring the pests we could do without (see page 112 for fungus gnat sand or page 119 for trapping stink bugs!) This book is a fun read - learn about the time the author offered to host plants for a charitable organization in her sunny front yard and ended up with 300 unmarked plants arriving all at once. It’s also a great growing guide to keep on hand. The solutions are based on natural science and documented experimentation of learning through plants. Ms. Rose begins with a discussion of soils and mulches - including how to test the chemistry and structure. She offers many recipes, written in cookbook form, for mixing and amending the soil based on the growing needs. The ingredients are mostly simple and found at home or a local garden center. The same is true of the natural fertilizer concoctions she offers later in the book. There are several fun activities for gardeners of all ages - think seed strips, diy pots, and bird feeders. Many can be completed in a short afternoon. The pictures are beautiful and add to the clear instructions throughout. “It’s getting your hands dirty that will give you the definitive answer how best to grow plants in your unique garden.” As Master Gardeners, we do our best to answer garden questions with science-based advice. Sometimes (often?) the answer is “it depends.” Truth be told, there are a lot of variables that go into gardening. This book makes it fun to learn about our gardening space and experiment with growing solutions. Educated trial and error, with a good dose of patience, are unavoidable parts of the process to, as the author says, “work to build on the foundation Mother Nature has created.” The Canadian author, Stephanie Rose, also has a great website full of advice that works for northern gardeners - gardentherapy.ca I encourage you to check out both the book and the website for great information! Your garden will thank you. Photo Credit: Book Jacket (1)

< Back Pet-Safe Plant Choices Sarah Heidtke, Master Gardener There are a lot of us in Dakota County and beyond who love both plants and our pets. Not all plants are compatible with the dogs and cats who live with us. Read on to find out about safer plant choices to make for our furry family members - and a few plants to keep away! I adopt new houseplants every year around January. Some fresh green helps me through the winter months - whether I’m expanding my collection or filling in for some plants that weren’t a good match for my environment (Master Gardeners get brown plants sometimes, too!) We have beloved dogs and cats in our family, so we want to make sure any plants we have within reach are going to be safe for our pets. If you are gifting houseplants, it is a good idea to keep in mind all of the household residents who can access the plants! I would recommend leaving any plant identification instructions and labels with the plant. This extra care also includes floral bouquets, so watch for danger there (think lilies, tulips and gladiola as examples). Today, I’m offering some houseplant options that are safer for dogs and cats: 1. Hoya Hearts (Hoya kerrii), just in time for Valentines Day! 2. Boston Fern - Many true ferns are nontoxic. This plant loves humidity and is a great option in a bathroom with a shower. Be careful, though, of plants such as “Asparagus Ferns” (Asparagus densiflorus cv sprengeri), which are not true ferns. These plants are actually related to the lily family - and are not safe for pets! 3. Rubber Plant (Peperomia) 4. Money Tree (Pachira aquatica) 5. African Violets (Saintpaulia spp.) 6. Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) 7. Bamboo or Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) - but be careful of Sago Palms (Cycas revoluta), these are very toxic to pets! 8. Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis sp.) 9. Holiday cactus (Schlumbergera) make great year-round houseplants 10. Many other succulents, such as Echeveria and Burro’s Tail are safe options as well. Check out this article from the Minnesota State Horticultural Society for more helpful information: A good general rule with all plants is to know your pets and double check plant labels . I have senior dogs that are more inclined to reach for the peanut butter spoon than any old plant, so I feel comfortable keeping riskier plants elevated and check for fallen leaves regularly. Some common plants in my home that are toxic to dogs and cats are Aloe, Amaryllis, Dieffenbachia, English Ivy, Eucalyptus and Philodendron. If you have a new puppy or kitten that can get to and munch plants in the house, you’ll need to adjust accordingly and stick to safer plants. Most plants can cause upset tummies if ingested or chewed on, but the above options will help avoid some more serious consequences. You can search toxicity by plant on the ASPCA’s website here . If your fur-baby has gotten into something they shouldn’t have, time matters. Here are a few resources if you are concerned your pet has ingested, touched, or inhaled poisonous substances - plants or otherwise: The University of Minnesota School of Veterinary Medicine recommends Pet Poison Helpline. - For general information or just checking, their website has tons of useful information including Top Ten Plants Poisonous to Pets . - For emergency help, you can call them at 855-764-7661 or email at info@petpoinhelpline.com ( please note there is an $85 incident fee applicable in this case ) ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) also has a poison control line (888) 426-4435 and some additional resources on their animal poison control website . Check out this website from beChewy and Monrovia for some great outdoor container “recipes” filled with pet-safe plants. They also have great tips on gardening around pets. You and your pets will have a shopping list ready when the weather warms up in the spring. Have fun enjoying your plants and healthy pets! Photo credits: Brooke Nesbitt (1,6), Sarah Heidtke (2,4,5), Wiki Creative Commons (3)

< Back The Magic of Snow Connie Kotke, Master Gardener Nothing beats the beauty of a snow-covered garden. Falling or drifting snow creates interesting sculptures on our benches, arbors, and paths. Evergreens look brighter, and trees with ornamental bark are showing off against a white background. Crowns of sparkling white form on sedum, ornamental grasses, and other perennials we left standing in the garden. Snow is useful to gardeners in other ways, too. Learn more! Making the Most of a Snowy Winter When everything is covered in snow, the landscape is peaceful and still. The snow sparkles, and everything seems clean and pure. Yes, it’s cold! But aside from moving to a warmer climate, we can take advantage of the many benefits snow delivers to Minnesota gardeners. Most importantly, snow cover insulates your valuable plants from wind and sub-zero temperatures. Most winter damage to plants occurs when we don’t have sufficient snow cover. This is especially important for roots, which do not become dormant in the winter as quickly as stems, branches and buds. A good snow cover moderates the temperature of the soil. That’s good, because the roots of most trees and shrubs in Minnesota die at temperatures below 10 degrees. If you planted some new trees, shrubs and perennials this fall, you’ll want to wish for a deeper snow cover to protect those newly-formed roots. Snow also protects plants from the freeze/thaw cycles that heave them out of the ground. This happens because of the way snowflakes are shaped. There are small spaces in each one that are filled with air. As they pile up, the result is low heat conductivity so the daily temperature permeation into the snow is reduced and the plants are protected from really cold temperatures. Snow helps preserve moisture in the soil during winter and provides water to the soil as it melts in the spring. This slowly waters the emerging perennials. Here are some other ways to use the snow: Insulate your garden planters. If you overwinter any potted plants outdoors, shovel or blow snow onto the planters to protect the roots. Snow acts as a natural barrier to shield the ground beneath it from the really cold wind gusts. When it warms up, the snow will melt and act like a slow-release drip irrigation system. Snow insulates your garden planters and moistens the soil as it warms up. Collect snow in rain barrels. As it melts, use it to water spring ephemerals, moisten compost, and incorporate leaf mulch into the soil. It’s free, it’s clean (no chlorine or other chemicals added to our city water), and delivered free to your door. Some people call snow “the poor man’s fertilizer.” As it falls through the atmosphere, nitrogen and sulfur attach to the flakes. When the snow melts, these elements are released into the soil and absorbed by plants. Nitrogen is essential to plant growth. With everything covered in snow, your birdfeeders will lure more birds and other critters closer to your home. It’s easier to see them, too, with a heavy blanket of white in the background. For more information, check out this University of Minnesota resource: Protecting Trees and Shrubs in Winter - Protecting trees and shrubs in winter | UMN Extension Photo Credit: Connie Kotke (1), Mike Darcy, Black Gold (2)