Regional garden bloggers' June 2011 report

Too much – and too little – rain were some of the topics our regional garden bloggers wrote about this past month. Here's the dirt on what's happening in their gardens …

Kari Gagner (far northeastern Minnesota, Zone "3.5"): Born and raised in northwestern Minnesota, Kari considers herself a novice gardener (with a hint of a black thumb) who's continually learning the tips and tricks of the trade. "It will be interesting to see how the summer plays out in regards to my gardening efforts," says Kari, whose 10-month-old son definitely keeps her on her toes. "I am, however, looking forward to having a 'helper' once he gets a little older"

Kari: Greetings from Zone 3.5! (I've coined the term "3.5," as I am in the Red River Valley, just on the edge of Zones 3 and 4, on the Minnesota/North Dakota border). We had a very snowy winter, bookended by a wet fall and an even soggier spring. This year was the third-highest flood on record for the Red River at Grand Forks. Farmers are just now able to get into the fields – which is late for this region! And of course, the weather is making any work outdoors a guessing game. In fact, we are one week away from June as I write this, and we had a frost warning last night! Because of the limited space I have available, I tend to do a lot of container gardening. This year's containers include Tropicanna^® cannas, Wave^® petunias, geraniums, Flower Carpet^® roses and a couple of "salad pots" (lettuce blends, tomatoes and peppers). I'm looking forward to summer's arrival and the warmer weather it will bring!

Pam Word  (East Texas, Zone 7b): Gardening for the last 20-plus years on 3 1/2 acres nestled deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas, Pam loves to push the limits of her zone, so she has a lot of tropicals including gingers, brugmansias, bananas and assorted vines. "I didn't expect to see many of these come back because for the first time in years, we had a week of freezing weather here in East Texas, but most, if not all, are showing their little heads."

Pam: The daffodils, tulips and other spring bulbs put on a great show this spring but are gone till next year. Now the landscape is filled with hybrid lilies and daylilies. My Flower Carpet roses put on a great show in early spring, too. My Fairy^® Magnolias, planted last summer, are leafed out and my Tropicanna cannas are just breaking ground along with my other tropicals. Temps here in East Texas have already been in the 90s and we're behind on rainfall, so this should be a very challenging summer. I look forward to sending more reports as the summer progresses.  In the meantime, happy gardening!

Tonya Cooley (Northcentral  Arkansas, Zone 6B): An avid gardener and reader of gardening magazines, Tonya remembers how her grandma, mom and aunt would always swap flower seeds, bulbs or clippings every spring and fall. "So I guess you could say I grew up with the fever," she says. "I have been gardening on my own for seven years now, using the tips and helpful hints from my mother. One day I hope to have a beautiful flower garden like hers." 

Tonya: When I purchased my home seven years ago, it contained very little of anything in a two-acre yard and it’s been a work in progress. My main concern was the large spruce tree on the northwest corner of my house. With all its shade, I decided it would be a great place for a hosta bed. As it seems with most gardening projects however, the job became more intense when I decided I wanted to add a rock patio where I could enjoy my morning coffee – hard work but worth the extra effort. On the entrance side, I added a heart-shaped arch and my husband and I were married under it – what a joy!  Since then, we’ve moved some Scarlet Next Generation Flower Carpet groundcover roses (bred for even better heat and humidity tolerance) around the arch.

This year I’m adding a water feature, where I’ll be planting some Tropicanna cannas. I am so excited to have started on it! We’ve had tons of rain this spring, but hopefully, we are done with that for a while, and I can finish it before it is too hot!  

Until next time, happy gardening!

Linn Schlinger (Central Virginia, Zone 7a): A retiree who enjoys camping and gardening, Linn lives in central Virginia, which has had its share of real weather extremes the past few years (four years of droughts and high temps, and now drowning rains). The heat, which starts very early in the spring, lasts into October – making gardening a real challenge. "We’re praying like mad for that not to be the case this year," she says, "but so far, instead we’ve been hit with torrential rains and flooding."  

Linn:  Last summer I planted Fairy Magnolias and they are doing splendid. They’ve already grown about 8 inches since I planted them and are full of new leaves. Despite the drought last year, my Flower Carpet roses have come along very well. They are loaded with tons of blooms ready to open up in three to four days. I’m very pleased with these roses compared to others. They just seem to take real well to our poor soil and either drought-or-drown climate. My purple clematis is growing by leaps and bounds! With its first blooming this spring, it had over 50 huge 8- to 9-inch-wide flowers – amazing!   

This spring, we cleared off a large part of our property to expand the lawn and gardens (see above); we planted new grass and covered it with straw. And then … we had to laugh as the heavy rains carried grass seed to anywhere but were it was SUPPOSED to go! Grass is now growing in weird parts of the property and very unusual patterns. So it is with gardening. Mother Nature tends to do things her way.

Until next time, walk in peace.