Landscape Alternatives

Burst into Spring

Chris — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 03:20:31 +0000

Thank you to all the folks who stopped at our table at the Isanti County Master Gardeners event in Cambridge last Saturday! The Master Gardeners do such a great job of organizing these programs. The keynote speaker was excellent, the classes offered were interesting and informative, and the food – mmm. It started out as a cold & wintery day, but everyone was thinking Spring, and by afternoon it was quite nice outside. I think it was all of the garden and landscape planning that made the weather start to improve.

If you’re in the area, do plan to come to the Chisago County Master Gardeners Spring Gardening Bonanza on March 12 in Center City. They have a number of excellent classes planned – check their blog for more details!

Planning for Spring

Chris — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 21:57:53 +0000

It’s still winter, but we can see indications of the impending change of season. The days are getting longer. My afternoon commute is more pleasant because the day is still bright when I leave work for the day. The sun is starting to drill into the snowbanks, leaving lacy patterns. Our bird watching friends are noticing the first migrating scouts. The days are getting warmer, and the nights are not as cold.
The waves of seed catalogs in our mailbox have started to slow. Now we will start to go through them, keeping the old favorites, discarding the obvious misfits, checking into the few new and intriguing ones. What will we do with the gardens this year? Maybe we’ll take the safe path of repeating last year’s activity, or maybe we’ll try something completely different. Or maybe we’ll compromise, trying just one or two new things.
I hope you’ll keep Landscape Alternatives in mind as you plan your gardening activity. Our native plants are ideal for rain gardens and naturalized areas, but don’t forget that many of them will be right at home in the perennial bed next to cultivated varieties.
What are your garden plans?

Shiny!

Chris — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 03:17:10 +0000

Check out our newly refurbished web site! Let us know what you think!

My, it’s dusty here

Chris — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 22:23:23 +0000

OK, I haven’t made any updates here for a while. That will be changing! In the meantime, check out our Facebook page: Karl has been posting lots of great pictures!

2010 Trade Shows

Chris — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:57:32 +0000

We had a booth at the Wild Ones spring conference on Saturday, and at the Chisago Lakes Home & Garden show this weekend. Upcoming are the Isanti County Master Gardeners Burst into Spring on March 6, and the Chisago County Master Gardeners Town and Country Expo on March 13. We are also planning to be at the Living Green Expo at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds on May 1 & 2. Watch this space for more information!

Free Range Christmas Trees at Urban Earth!

Chris — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 19:47:40 +0000

Here’s a cool new idea – celebrate Christmas with an elegant, fragrant northwoods Balsam Fir and you’ll be helping to protect our old growth White Pine forests from wildfire.

These trees are harvested as part of a best management practices program to protect and foster an old growth stand of White Pine trees near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Often, a conifer forest can become clogged with an understory of younger trees such as Balsam Fir that provide easy fuel for wild fires. The more fuel down low in the forest, the hotter and more damaging will be any wild fire that comes through. An important conservation practice in mature stands is to remove many of these smaller trees.

Fortunately, these young 7 to 12 foot Balsam Firs make beautiful traditional-looking Christmas Trees. Since they must be cut this fall and winter anyway, why not turn waste into a cherished and responsible Holiday decoration? You can do this by pre-ordering your Christmas tree from the Urban Earth garden center co-operative in south Minneapolis. Stop by and see a sample – it’s in their entry lobby.

7-12 foot tree: $50 ea.

2-4 foot “Tabletop tree”: $25.00 ea.

Contact Urban Earth Co-op for further details.

910 W. 36th St.

Minneapolis, MN 55408

(612) 824-0066

Fall Gardening Review at Urban Earth Co-op!

Chris — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:54:59 +0000

photo by Roy Robison

Did you know that fall is a great time for planting perennials and generally sprucing up your garden? Your garden has made it through another spring and summer. You have some ideas of what has worked and what hasn’t. The heat stress and mosquitos are gone. But the soil is still warm and conducive to good root growth.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 8 so you can join Landscape Alternatives’ Roy Robison in a presentation about the benefits and opportunities of gardening with native plants in the fall. Bring your native plant questions and ideas. Roy has several decades experience helping people experience the wonders of native plants in the landscape.

This last session for the season will begin at 7:00 PM at Urban Earth Co-op at 910 W. 36th St. Minneapolis, MN. $8 nonmember $5 members. Why not become an Urban Earth member today?!

For questions call Urban Earth at (612) 824-0066 or Landscape Alternatives at (651) 257-4629.

Center City rain gardens

Chris — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:00:56 +0000

We are proud to announce the delivery of plants for the new Center City industrial park development’s rain gardens (12 in all)!

Wedding

Chris — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:44:26 +0000

OK, it has been a busy summer and we’ve neglected the blog along with a lot of weeds in the garden! The biggest (and most enjoyable!) distraction has been the preparation for our daughter’s wedding. We hosted the reception in the old barns at our home farm which took a lot of hard work on the part of the wedding couple and family. Let’s call it wedding sweat equity. We scrubbed every inch of the place- several times!

The wedding went without a hitch and everyone enjoyed the barn dance afterward.

Prairie Dog

Chris — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:34:38 +0000

Prairie Dog

1994-2009

We’re sorry to have to report that Prairie Dog passed away under the Vet’s care and in her Master’s arms on the afternoon of June 29, 2009. She rests, finally without pain, next her favorite hunting fields on Pioneer Meadow Farm.

Karl and Chris