by pleasantview | Feb 1, 2021 | Garden Tips, Uncategorized
by Barrie Anderson Wait! Don’t let this fungus scare you off from reading this! This little guy is a beneficial fungus that holds the title of one of the oldest symbiotic relationships in the plant kingdom! Mycorrhizae are vital to a plants survival, just like...
by pleasantview | Jan 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
by Matthew Olson The holiday season is coming to a close, and a new year has begun. If you’ve been to a garden center recently, you’ve likely seen the variety of plants that are sold as holiday plants to celebrate Christmas. The poinsettias are always popular, along...
by pleasantview | Dec 1, 2020 | Garden Services, Garden Tips, Garden Wildlife, Winter
by Matthew Olson Winter is a quiet time of year in the garden. The flowers are no longer blooming, the pollinators have begun hibernating and the plants are dormant. A blanket of snow covers the landscape and allows us to take a break from outdoor garden...
by pleasantview | Nov 1, 2020 | Garden Services, Garden Tips, Plant care, Winter
by Barrie Anderson I still recall the roughly 60 foot tall Quercus Alba, (White Oak) my grandparents had on their farm. I remember being so excited as a little girl to go to their house and look straight up the trunk into the branches and let my mind wander high...
by pleasantview | Sep 6, 2020 | Fall Season, Garden Services, Garden Tips, Plant care
by Barrie Anderson As I sit here typing this and glance outside my window, I spot my neighbor fertilizing his Balsam Fir. This typically wouldn’t be an issue in the summer, except it is mid-August now and fertilizing any evergreens at this time, will actually...
by pleasantview | Mar 27, 2020 | Plant care, Spring
Rose Pruning How to identify and prune your roses in Minnesota By Barrie Anderson Minnesota gardeners who cultivate roses in their landscapes are most likely keenly aware of pruning methods. It’s important to note there are three types of Roses that are commonly...
by pleasantview | Feb 28, 2021 | Garden Services, Garden Tips, Plant care, Spring, Summer, Uncategorized
by Barrie Anderson I still recall the very first time I ever saw a Hydrangea. It was a paniculata type at a retail garden center some 25 years ago. I stopped in my tracks and ogled the massive, conical bloom heads. I had to have one of these, and purchased a Hydrangea...
by pleasantview | Sep 30, 2020 | Fall Season, Garden Pests & Problems, Garden Tips, Plant care, Winter
by Barrie Anderson My eyes were following the soapy rag up and down the leaves of the Sansevieria my mother was washing. I couldn’t believe she gave her houseplants a “bath”. Being 6 or 7 at the time, I remember being enthralled at how shiny the leaves became...
by pleasantview | Jul 30, 2020 | Garden Tips, Plant care, Summer
By Barrie Anderson I can still hear the pop and thump as the vehicles zipping down the country road crushed the hulls of the Black Walnuts that my siblings and I (all hiding in the daylily patch) threw at the oncoming traffic. Most times though, the hulls were so...
by pleasantview | Jul 1, 2020 | Garden Pests & Problems, Garden Tips, Plant care, Summer, Uncategorized
by Barrie Anderson The very sound of the words, Japanese Beetles invokes irritation, frustration and gloom among Minnesota gardeners. We can see them in our minds chewing, crawling, and decimating our Roses, our tropical Hibiscus flowers, our Grapevines...
by pleasantview | Jun 1, 2020 | Plant care, Summer, Uncategorized
By Barrie Anderson As I’m sitting here piecing together the latest tips for pruning deciduous trees, I can look out my window and see a beautiful Betula nigra (River Birch) in my neighbor’s landscape, and right next door on the other side, a massively, giant Acer...