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Barking Up the Right Tree
The winter months are a great time of year to appreciate some of the subtle (or not so subtle) contributions in the winter landscape. Winter interest in our gardens is vital and may include ornamental...
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Extreme Vertical Gardening
Today was a nice sunny one with temperatures right around 32 degrees F. Looks like they received quite a blanket of snow out East! I heard it will be 36" deep in Boston. While I'm not a big fan of...
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Busy as Bees Today
Today was super busy at the Horticulture Center with all sorts of activities occurring throughout the day. Our lights extraction team of Larry H., Larry O., Peg, Alan and Marv B. all went out in the...
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Homecoming After 22 Years
I left work early this morning to head down south to a conference (Saturday) in Robinson, IL that is hosted by the University of Illinois - Extension. Â Robinson is right near the Indiana border and...
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Hummingbirds Are Requesting 'Black & Blue' Salvia
For the past 15 years we have grown and displayed the 'Black & Blue' anise sage (Salvia guaranitica) which is also known as Brazilian sage and hummingbird sage. This plant is native to a broad...
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You Can't Beat Beets
 I'll be honest and say that while I'll never lack for blog topics, sometimes they are inspired that same day by something I'm doing. In this case, I was ordering beet seeds (Beta vulgaris) today and...
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The Culvert Pipe Planter
My memory is not what it used to be but I do recalling blogging about our culvert pipe planters in the past. However, this "revisit" of the topic showcases some more recent uses (and photos) of these...
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The Scent of Popcorn in the Garden
Over the past five years, we've enjoyed growing the popcorn cassia (Cassia didymobotrya). Also called popcorn senna and peanut butter plant, this tropical (native to Africa) thrives in our summer...
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Orange Heucheras Abound
 I've always been a big fan of coral bells (Heuchera) although they aren't the lowest maintenance perennial and will let you know when they aren't happy (usually by dying). Rich, moist soils are ideal...
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Impactful Wheat Celosias
I'm a big fan of annual celosias (Celosia sp.). In 2005, we displayed a collection of over 100 varieties which was a lot of fun. It was amazing to see such a wide range of options with such a heat...
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Ghost Fern - A Solid Performer
 "No ghost was ever seen by two pair of eyes." Thomas Carlyle. I would argue that quote as it relates to the 'Ghost' hybrid painted fern (Athyrium hybrida) which I think is appreciated by everyone...
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Nifty Nicotiana
 Today was fairly mild with some very light snow/sprinkles. We had a small turnout at the Horticulture Center this morning. Janice was in to work on some Garden Expo (this weekend!) details and Spring...
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Perennial "Berries"
At the time of writing this blog, I'm dozing off so my verbiage will be mercifully brief for you loyal readers. Â This morning, Big John and I hauled up all our booth supplies for the Wisconsin Public...
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Spring Plant Sale Preparations
 I'm headed up to the Wisconsin Public Television Garden Expo (www.wigardenexpo.com/) this afternoon but spent the morning working on our Spring Plant Sale. These photos are from previous sales but...
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Marvelous Masterwort (Astrantia major)
We're back from another successful Garden Expo hosted by Wisconsin Public Television at the Alliant Center Exhibition Hall this past weekend up in Madison, WI. Our booth was visited often and we were...
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Golden Conifers in Winter
 For us in the Midwest, the winter landscape can be a bit bleak with lots of white and brown out there. Our "winter interest" gardens should also contain colorful stems, ornamental berries and a lot...
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Black-Eyed Susan Vines
 It was a cold day outside with wind chill temperatures below 0 degrees F. Needless to say, we didn't have anyone out in the gardens but the progress with taking down the Holiday Lights Show (HLS) has...
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Yellow Fumitory (Corydalis lutea)
Today was FRIGID with no activity out in the gardens (except for hungry deer). While the weather outside was frightful, the inside was so delightful (and productive). Pat M. continued to process...
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Garden Sages
 Today was painfully frigid with temperatures well below 0 degrees F. We didn't have any activity out in the gardens but the Horticulture Center saw a lot of volunteers and related action. In the...
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Wood Betony (Stachys officinalis)
An entirely underused perennial is the wood betony (Stachys officinalis) which really is a tough and durable plant with plenty of visual appeal. The variety 'Hummelo' can be seen above and below and...
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