Some new “Proven Winner” shrubs, trees, and grasses for the year 2023 include: Sunjoy Orange Pillar Barberry boost neon orange foliage growing to a maximum of 4 feet with a 3-foot spread. Like with other barberries they have a lot…
This plant is popping up in gardens and people are wondering if it is a ground cherry. This weed is called deadly nightshade and has toxic berries. The berries are sweet; however, it does not take many to get sick.…
Inside bugs are coming this fall to your home. It will be getting time for the outside bugs like spiders, ants, boxelder bugs, and others in being inside bugs. Many will be on your lawn to start with. So, keep…
The hot weather is slowing down fruit production in the garden dramatically. My summer squash (which I planted a dozen hills) usually produces more than I certainly can use. The plants now produce maybe one fruit every few days, which…
All of us know what field bindweed is and this is the time of year it shows its white to pinkish flowers all over. I planted the garden on a field bindweed & thistle patch ten years ago and with…
It is a honeysuckle shrub. There have been a lot of questions last week about a shrub being found in areas that were not noticed before. This time of year you can tell by the “choke cherry” sized seed capsules.…
Most people know the flowering tobacco annual flowers. You can find them at the greenhouses or order the seed online. Easy to grow, coming in many colors: white, lavender, red, and shades in between. I plant the variety Nicotiana alata,…
Most of the questions that will be coming in will relate to tomato problems, and earlier this summer, relate to tomato problems. As in most years, the most frequent problem with tomatoes this year will be leaf spot and blight…
This week there are questions about how to rid dog ticks around the house. Good question. Dog ticks survive in tall grassy areas with shade because they like humid, sheltered locations waiting for some animal to pick them up. The…
Do you have a hard time getting trees to grow because of your location where you want a tree? Try a native tree to South Dakota recommended by SDSU. My favorite is the boxelder tree. Now before you yell at…
Creating stunning flowerpots for your patio or front yard takes three things: a thriller, a filler, and a spiller. A thriller is the tallest plant in the center of the pot with colorful foliage or flowers. The spiller is the…
Have you bought plants at the greenhouse, set them out in the garden or flowerbed and they died? It is the same as you wintering in your house then going outside on a nice spring day and ending up with…
Solar outdoor accent lights have come a long way from the simple path lights. The lights are brighter, coming in changing colors, and the batteries last longer. The advantages of solar lights are that they can be placed anywhere as…
In our area, we have alkaline soils. They are soils over a pH of 7 (under this would be acid soils you find in the Eastern parts of the US). An alkaline soil contains a high degree of calcium, sodium,…
Here are some shrubs for your landscaping that will take anything from the heat of the summer to the coldest winter. Starting with the mountain ash. A compound leaf shrub growing to 15 tall and 10 feet wide. They can…