Category Archives: Gardening

The Fall Garden

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Faith Renfield

We have had wonderful weather this summer. The upper Midwest (zone 4b) received ample, well-spaced rains, with no extended heat waves. And these Cimicifuga blooms are just one of the delightful results. Ample water is clearly a factor in the … Continue reading →

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What’s Blooming

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Faith Renfield

Martagon lilies are a wonderful addition to any dappled shade garden. The bulbs are expensive, but when they are well-sited, martagons naturalize slowly but well. This is the Martagon ‘Claude Shride’  viewed up close in a shaft of sunlight at our … Continue reading →

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Princess Irene Returns

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Faith Renfield

In Fall 2013, I planted a large section of Princess Irene tulips in the bed in front of our living room windows. I don’t think Princess Irene are known for their ability to return year over year.  So I was … Continue reading →

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Spring Unfurls

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Faith Renfield

It’s easy to dismiss the quiet wonder of spring, the shy unrolling of a fern frond or a thickly bunched rose leaf bursting from a hard brown stem. Hidden among the dead brown of winter’s remains, the jeweled chalice of … Continue reading →

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Is It Worth It?

Posted on February 15, 2015 by Faith Renfield

I rarely over-winter plants. I truly admire the frugal gardeners who store pots and pots of annuals under lights in their garages or basements, but all it took was one big infestation of insects crawling out of the pots and … Continue reading →

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Say What?

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Faith Renfield

        It’s less than four weeks until 2015! Do you know where your year has gone? Because I sure don’t know what’s happened to mine. So I’ve decided to do a rerun on summer 2014 .  . … Continue reading →

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Last Stand

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Faith Renfield

Yesterday was the first snowfall of the season here in zone 4b.  Just a few miles to the north, they had over a foot of snow. Here in Minneapolis, though, only around five inches fell. Schools remained open and life … Continue reading →

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More Glorious Grasses

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Faith Renfield

Strangely, this rosy grass is actually called Little Bluestem,”The Blues.”  The stems of this cultivar are bluish during the growing season but now have turned shades of rose and pink that glow on a sunny day like today. One of … Continue reading →

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Staying Power

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Faith Renfield

Although November is here, my boulevard beds retain most of their late summer beauty. The messy blond tussocks of Prairie Dropseed grab the drab fall light and don’t let go. I love the elegantly gaunt silhouette of the blackened coneflowers … Continue reading →

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Queen of the Slipstream . . .

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Faith Renfield

How much time do you spend in dreams? Too much according to stern teachers, worried parents, or most of the self-help crowd constantly urging us to act, to do something productive that can be seen or counted. Pay attention.  Stop … Continue reading →

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