By: angiehongmn
Yards and Landscaping, , , , ,

These are a few of my favorite things

These are a few of my favorite things.

When you’re outdoors on one of the first warms days of spring and the sun’s warmth feels like it touches every cell in your body. It’s an intercellular hug, and you close your eyes and turn to the light like a flower in the garden. Sometimes, I lie down on the ground like a piece of the earth, although I’m sure I must look silly.

Basking in a bed of reed canary grass on a warm day in March. Molly is not impressed. Photo by Angie Hong.

When you hear the gentle whirr of wings and look up to see a chickadee on a branch. It pauses and looks at you, unafraid of course. After all, you are Snow White in the forest. Certainly, a doe will come next.

Chickadee photo by Laura Ganz from Pexels.

When you’re hiking in the woods in the early spring and notice lavender and white flowers near the bases of the trees. Hepatica, anemone, and bloodroot. Your eyes adjust from the greyscale you’ve been living in and notice that the trees are tinged the lightest shade of yellowish-green. Soon there will be leaves.

Hepatica blooming in spring. Photo by Angie Hong.

It is March – a time for snow to melt and rain to fall. The days are slightly longer and the wind no longer stings your face. The backyard, of course, is hideous. But in your minds’ eye already a beautiful garden is growing.

A spring garden at a fairytale cottage in Stillwater. Photo by Angie Hong.

If spring naturally has you dreaming of flowers and gardens, I’d like to encourage you to enhance your vision a bit this year to include native flowers, shrubs, and trees that can help to provide habitat for birds and wildlife and protect our water resources. March is the perfect time to begin planning, and there are numerous resources available to help you get started.

One of the first things you might want to do is peruse the BlueThumb.org website. Created as a one-stop resource for Minnesota gardeners, this website features a plant finder tool to help you select the best native plants for your yard, including plant lists and design templates, and links to upcoming workshops.

If you are looking to purchase low cost trees and shrubs, pollinator seed mixes, or wildlife-friendly native garden kits, the Washington Conservation District offers affordable options through its annual tree sale. Place an order online now and then pick up your trees and plants on April 24 or 25 at the Washington County Fairground in Lake Elmo. Tree species still available include white pine, red pine, bur oak, blck cherry, and black chokeberry. There are also pollinator, buckthorn replacement, and low-grow fescue seed mixes, as well as monarch, songbird, and short and tidy plant kits (small plugs). Visit mnwcd.org/tree-sales to learn more.

In Chisago County, trees can be ordered online through Chisago SWCD and picked up at the Almelund Threshing Grounds (17760 St Croix Trail, Taylors Falls) on May 1 or 2.

Isanti SWCD sells bundles of bareroot seedlings and additionally also offers apple trees (single 6ft bareroot). Pick up is at the Isanti County Fairground.

Every year, the Washington Conservation District sells 15,000-20,000 trees to local landowners for conservation plantings.

Looking for a workshop or presentation to help you develop a plan?

Me, talking about pollinator gardens at a workshop in Minneapolis. Photo by Friends of the Mississippi River.

(Lindstrom) On Saturday, March 21 (9am – 3pm) Chisago County Master Gardeners will host their annual expo. Presenters will discuss a variety of topics during concurrent sessions, including food forests, salt-smart gardens, seed saving, pollinators, composting, biochar, and raingardens. The event is $15. Register here.

Kinglet photo by Lee Miller.
Bumblebee phot by Angie Hong.

(Cambridge – March 24 or Woodbury – March 26) Get inspired to begin “Gardening for the birds and bees” during one of these evening workshops, presented by me.  We will talk about gardening with native plants, how to choose the right plants, how to get started, and where to find additional support for planting projects. I’ll also show before and after examples from gardens around the Twin Cities. Register for Cambridge or register for Woodbury. Free.

Butterfly on purple coneflower. Photo by Angie Hong.

(Bayport) Join Washington County Master Gardeners on Monday, April 13 (6-7:30pm) at the Bayport Library to learn about planting for pollinators. This free workshop will explore simple yet practical steps you can take at home to support native bees and butterflies. Register here.

(Southern Washington County) Residents of the South Washington Watershed District can get expert design advice for native gardens and raingardens, and kick-off spring gardening with a stewardship grant. The SWWD includes portions of Oakdale, Lake Elmo, Woodbury, and Afton, as well as the entirety of Newport, St. Paul Park, Grey Cloud Twp, Cottage Grove, and Denmark Twp. Workshops will be held on Tuesday, April 7 (6-8pm) in Woodbury, Tuesday, April 28 (6-8pm) in Cottage Grove, Tuesday, May 12 (6-8pm) in Woodbury, and Thursday, May 28 (6-8pm) online. Register here. Free.

You can also find workshops in other parts of the Twin Cities at BlueThumb.org, including:

  • March 24 (6pm) Plymouth
  • March 26 (6pm) St. Louis Park
  • April 8 (6pm) Shorelines, or April 15 (5:30pm) Raingardens – Edina
  • April 22 (6pm) Roosevelt High, Minneapolis
  • April 29 (5:30pm) New Hope
  • May 7 (5:30pm) Maplewood
  • May 12 (5:30pm) Raingarden planting and maintenance – Moundsview
  • June 6 (6pm) Shorelines – Plymouth