The air is fragrant here at Red Oak House because all of the crab apple trees and lilacs are blooming. Thus, it is exceptionally pleasant to work at our gardening chores. The juneberry bush is loaded with blossoms, and our resident house wrens have returned. Their cheerful call makes our back patio an even more pleasant haven. Jim has finished …
Here’s another photo from my visit Tuesday to the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum not far from our place in Bloomington, Minn. These are hawthorn blossoms, French writer Marcel Proust’s favorite flower. When I got home, I looked up what he had to say about them. Those who haven’t read Proust will notice he used long sentences. “I found the …
Longing for spring — REALLY? Nothing brightens up your day quite like a trip to Bachman’s Spring is in The Air flower show at the Galleria. The Galleria welcomed tens of thousands of visitors since the beginning of Galleria Spring is in the Air — Bachman’s Flower Show (formerly at the downtown Minneapolis Macy’s) late last month. According to Wendy …
“… all that we behold Is full of blessings” — William Wordsworth I spent some of the morning with my nonagenarian father, who teaches me each day about dignity and stoicism. When out in public, he almost always wears a hat, and these hats tell about his life. I think the fact that he was in the U.S. Army Security …
Bergeson Gardens, located southeast of Fertile, Minn., at Bergeson Nursery, is in full bloom and will be through early September. There will be an open house at the nursery Saturday, which will feature free coffee and donuts, food and ice cream for sale, music (11 a.m. and 3 p.m.) and garden tours (10 a.m. and 2 p.m.). All plants will …
Three-quarter of an inch of rain in a wondrous thunderstorm this morning (Wednesday) started the day off right here at Red Oak House. For the second day in a row, it will be cool enough for us to leave the windows open all day. Vegetable harvest has begun in earnest and Jim has frozen many bags already. Last night, we had …
Gentle reader, I’ve been writing about the past, but today, it is time to return to my garden notes as the daylilies are exploding in all their glory. Between my sister and I, we have 219 varieties of daylily. They are fairly easy to grow and hardy in our northern climate. I was first exposed to daylilies by my friend …
Spring flowers have given way to the summer blossoms in our garden. We eat fresh greens every day and give away radishes. The garlic crop is pathetic, and it makes me sad to look at it as, the new bed Jim prepared last fall was too rich. Our purple-hulled pea crop is also a disappointment, as I fear we were …
On Thursday, I spent the day on my hands and knees pulling weeds at Red Oak House. I have no complaints, as this is a quiet task, and I like quiet, solitary tasks. The millions of elm seeds that blew in have sprouted and needed to be removed, and aspens sprout in all sorts of unwanted places. While I worked, …
Back to Red Oak House garden notes for the summer of 2017 in Bismarck. This tree peony given to me by my friend, Bob Martinson, three years ago has become one of my favorites, not only for its yellow beauty but also because it is a symbol of the generosity of a fellow gardener. My sister and I agreed that …
Went to the Apple Creek wetlands east of Bismarck on Sunday morning to bird with my daughter, Chelsea Sorenson. She is a budding photographer and quite a good birder in her own right. May was such a windy month here that we didn’t do much birding; hence, we missed many of the migrating birds that hurry north to the Arctic. But …
It is such a busy time at Red Oak House. So much is happening in the garden. More on that later. But first, this past weekend was filled with the gift of family. My sister, Sarah, brought my daughter, Rachel, from Dickinson, N.D., for the weekend. Sunday, my day started with brunch with my daughters and husband. They presented me …
Flowers and dogs. That’s what Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson has been seeing a lot of lately. Hurray for spring!
A brief tour of the gardens, yesterday … what a beautiful time of year.
Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson captured these images and the following videos while on a coffee walk Sunday morning.
Backyards are bursting with beautiful color this time of the year as blooming flowers — the pride of many gardeners — take center stage. Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons captured these images — right in his own backyard. His reaction: “WOW!” Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.
Spring is a time of renewal. These blooming flowers, which recently caught the eye of Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson, reminds us of that.
Who says summer is gone? Certainly not the flowers in the back yard of Alexandria, Va., photographer Jeff Olson.
When I think of fall flowers, immediately the majestic mums come to mind. These are wonderful flowers that can become part of your landscape until the cold and snow arrives in November. While mums have more frost tolerance than most flowering plants, once the mercury drops to the mid 20s, even the late ones surrender. Mums come in a rich array …
Glads are a wonderful addition to any garden as we discussed in a recent column on this wonderful flower. There is so much information, though, so we want to devote a second column to glads. Glads are more effective and easier to care for if they have their own exclusive bed in the garden. If grown for cutting, the glads …
Even if your green thumb is really the finger of death, don’t worry. If nothing else, you can grow daylillies that not only thrive but will be the talk of the neighborhood! Daylillies grow spectacularly even with neglect. They have few insect or disease problems. One of their only drawback is that they have to be divided often, which means you …
It’s amazing what a little rain will do for spring flowers such as these in Alexandria, Va.
Sunset tulips grace the George Washington Parkway overlook between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C.