Home & Garden

Many area lawns appear to be covered with popcorn or miniature golf balls this summer. The white spheres are really the flowers of white or Dutch clover, which is thriving because of the cooler air and soil temperatures that were prevalent this spring. Environmental conditions that are favorable to its growth and lawns that are…

Everyone feels like there just isn’t enough time to get everything done at one time or another. Good time management involves specific, learned skills. Eliminating time wasters is the first step in time management. Below are some suggestions for helping to take control of your time. Set objectives and priorities Identify your most productive hours…

I’m only two feet tall, but I see the world out there bright and curious for me to explore. A young child will taste, touch, listen and learn. Our children are our future. Bring to them a love for gardening, and it will be theirs forever. To develop this, let them play in the soil…

Summer-bearing raspberry plants are producing bumper crops of large, juicy berries. How is your raspberry season? Do you enjoy picking the fruit? If not, other than mosquitoes, what conditions make harvesting unpleasant? Has an overgrown patch made harvesting an unpleasant chore? Left unchecked, a summer-bearing red raspberry patch can become an unproductive, unattractive thicket in…

Each year perennial flower gardeners must decide whether or not to divide their plants. The University of Minnesota (U of M) offers advice to help make that decision. Diagnose your plant If the center is woody or dying, or it does not have many blooms and has smaller flowers, then it is time to divide.…

Whether you want shade, privacy or visual impact, there is a vine for every situation. Clematis The clematis is probably the most familiar vine. It is a showy, flowering vine, available in many varieties, that needs a trellis for support. The clematis seems to do best with an east exposure, but can be grown on…

I have my mother-in-law, Katie, to thank for my love of flower gardening. Fragrant bouquets would grace the dining table with splashes of color. I continue her tradition by keeping a bouquet of blooms in my kitchen from early spring until autumn’s frost. In order to keep those bouquets looking their best, and lasting more…

Obtaining a home equity loan or line of credit provides access to cash and a boost to tax deductions, but if not used wisely, it may put your financial well-being at risk. The Minnesota Society of CPAs (MSCPA) outlines the pros and cons of tapping your home equity. Loan vs. line of credit Before deciding…

Minnesota has recently passed a law that restricts the use of lawn fertilizers containing phosphorus, the primary nutrient that turns lakes green with algae. Excess algae and weed growth is a major problem in many Minnesota lakes and waterways. Too much algae lowers oxygen levels and darkens the water, causing a devastating effect on fish…

It’s August, and you thought it was time to sit back, relax and enjoy your garden. Yes, and no, according to Deborah Brown, U of M Extension Horticulturist. She agrees that Minnesota flower gardens have been glorious this year. What could be more pleasant than pulling up a comfy lawn chair, pouring yourself a glass…