Hello Gardeners
After the rush of spring planting, it is time to enjoy your gardens! We’ve had a roller coaster ride with the weather from high 80’s to low 50’s and even rain has made a big dent in our drought meter. Now is the time to just look and watch your flowers and vegetables. It’s amazing to see the activity that goes on from big fuzzy bumblebees to graceful butterflies. Maybe you have some toads and dragonflies.
I’m lucky in that I have fireflies putting on a show every night! Fireflies are having a hard time finding places to live and mate. One way you can help is to turn off your outdoor lights. The artificial light (including solar lights) confuses the fireflies and they can’t find a mate to produce offspring. It’s not just outdoor lights which are a problem, but even lighting from indoors that shines outside is also confusing to fireflies. Please consider blinds or curtains on your windows where lights or TVs are on during dusk to dawn.
Here are two resources about how to help fireflies:
Thank You!
Thank you to all who helped package seeds this spring! Later this summer and fall I’ll start packaging native plant seeds. Look for an email in a couple months asking for volunteers to help.
Plant Sales and Garden Tours
Plant sales are done for the year, but touring a local garden is just starting! Here is a list compiled by Family Fun Twin Cities of local gardens to enjoy the flowers!
Local Greenhouses and Nurseries
As a request from our volunteers I am adding a list of various local greenhouses or garden centers that sell plants. Many of these establishments do not use neonicotinoids on their plants that they grow. But the buyer should beware: they may sell plants that were grown previously at a different wholesaler which did use systemic pesticides. You should ask the growers at these establishments whether neonics were used on the plants you wish to purchase.
Neonicotinoids or ‘neonics’ are a systemic pesticides used on plants to kill insects. Unfortunately, these insecticides also harm pollinators as the insecticide gets into all parts of the plant including the pollen and nectar.
The only way to be sure a plant has not been treated with neonics is to buy certified organic seed and grow it yourself, or buy a certified organically grown plant.
More information here.
Goldman’s Greenhouse – East Bethel, MN
Website: Goldman's
Outback Nursery – Hastings, MN
Seller of Minnesota native trees, shrubs and perennials.
Website: Outback
Prairie Moon Nursery – Winona, MN and order online
They have hundreds of varieties of native plant seeds, plants and bare root stock.
Website: Prairiemoon
Prairie Restorations – Scandia, MN
Seller of Minnesota native plants.
Website: Prairieresto
