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Perennials for Minnesota and Wisconsin
With detailed accounts of 86 different perennials, along with information on 605 recommended varieties and cultivars perfect for Minnesota and Wisconsin gardens, this handy book takes the guesswork out of perennial gardening. The authors share their commonsense and practical advice to help you transform any patch of ground into a spectacular garden you can enjoy year after year: * Flower and foliage colors * Height and spread ranges * Blooming periods * How and when to start your plants * Planting strategies * Light, water and nutrient needs * Choosing the best perennials for different growing conditions * More than 500 color photographs.
- GenresGardeningNonfiction
352 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 2004
21 people want to read
About the author
Don Engebretson
9 books13 followersI've lived my life in chapters, now that I think about it. My work resume includes bellhop, fishing guide, state fair pitchman, underground miner (kids, stay in school!), rock musician, rock band manager, trade and consumer show producer, corporate VP, landscape designer, business owner and writer. Always a writer.
The advice is always write what you know, write what you love, and for me that was gardening. In my late 20s I started writing a 500-word gardening column for a Twin Cities weekly newspaper. Five years later I was writing for Better Homes and Gardens. I wrote five gardening books. I've lost track of how many magazines and newspapers have published my columns and articles over the years. Dozens, for sure.
In 2019 I sat down to write a novel that had been sliding across my brain like a box of broken glass. It's titled "Welcome to Kamini," and it's pretty good. I'm happy with it, put it that way.
The advice is always write what you know, write what you love, and for me that was gardening. In my late 20s I started writing a 500-word gardening column for a Twin Cities weekly newspaper. Five years later I was writing for Better Homes and Gardens. I wrote five gardening books. I've lost track of how many magazines and newspapers have published my columns and articles over the years. Dozens, for sure.
In 2019 I sat down to write a novel that had been sliding across my brain like a box of broken glass. It's titled "Welcome to Kamini," and it's pretty good. I'm happy with it, put it that way.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 29, 2022
Excellent resource! Will need to come back to this again and again.
January 6, 2021
-i really liked this book. i would like to own this book. great pictures, good information about requirements for the plants, including what needs to be divided and what doesnt.
-"the climate of minnesota and wisconsin, with its reckless variance in temperature, can cause unusual challenges for gardeners. up here, spring weather is pure nonsense - occasionally cool, sometimes damp, but just as often warm and dry. in summer, only one word describes the two states: hot. no wait, two words, 'hot' and 'sticky', and its anyone's guess if a sweltering summer will precede into a reasonably 'normal' fall or instead blister paint off houses from september until halloween. by design perennials need downtime, which is something the upper midwest offers in abundance during winter. "
-perennials for dry soil: artemisia, butterfly weed, coreopsis, gas plant, lambs ears, pincushion flower, russian sage, sedum, thyme, yarrow
-thinning is done early in the year when shoots have just emerged. for plants that have stems in a dense clump that allow very little air or light into the center of the plant. remove half of the shoots when they first emerge to increase air circulation and prevent diseases such as powdery mildew. the increased light encourages compact growth and more flowers.
-seeds can be tricked into thinking the conditions are right for sprouting. some thick-coated seeds can be soaked for a day or two in a glass of water, mimicking the beginning of the rainy season. the water softens the seed coat and in some cases washes away the chemicals that have been preventing germination. other thick coated seeds need to be scratched (scarified) to allow moisture to penetrate the seed coat and prompt germination. some seeds must be given a cold treatment, which mimics winter, before they will germinate. mix the seeds with some moistened sand, peat moss, or sphagnum moss. place the mix in a sealable bag and pop it into the refrigerator for up to two months, being sure the sand or moss doesnt dry out. the seeds can then be planted into a pot or tray.
-when a cutting has rooted, apply a foliar feed using a hand held mister. plants quickly absorb nutrients through the leaves, and by feeding that way you can avoid stressing the newly formed roots.
-IPM integrated pest/plant management. the goal of IPM is to reduce pest problems to levels of damage acceptable to you rather than spraying or dusting to eliminate every pest in the landscape.
-the main drawback of using chemical or organic pesticide is that it may also kill the beneficial insects you have been trying to attract. people think that because the pesticide is organic, they can use however much they want. an organic spray kills because it contains a lethal toxin. a large amount of pesticide is not any more effective in controlling pests than the recommended amount.
-pest control alternatives- antitranspirants to prevent spread of fungal spores, baking soda and citrus oil or horticultural oil for powdery mildew, sulfur for fungal.
-perennials i'd be interested in trying out or already grow: astilbe, black-eyed susan, balloon flower, bleeding heart, campanula/bellflower, chrysanthemum, clematis, coneflower/echinacea, daylily, euphorbia (blackbird, griffithii, dulcis chameleon), foxglove, gas plant, goutweed/snow on the mountain, hollyhock, hosta, lambs ears, liatris/blazing star, lupine, mallow, monkshood, peony, perennial salvia/sage, phlox, pincushion flower, yarrow.
-"the climate of minnesota and wisconsin, with its reckless variance in temperature, can cause unusual challenges for gardeners. up here, spring weather is pure nonsense - occasionally cool, sometimes damp, but just as often warm and dry. in summer, only one word describes the two states: hot. no wait, two words, 'hot' and 'sticky', and its anyone's guess if a sweltering summer will precede into a reasonably 'normal' fall or instead blister paint off houses from september until halloween. by design perennials need downtime, which is something the upper midwest offers in abundance during winter. "
-perennials for dry soil: artemisia, butterfly weed, coreopsis, gas plant, lambs ears, pincushion flower, russian sage, sedum, thyme, yarrow
-thinning is done early in the year when shoots have just emerged. for plants that have stems in a dense clump that allow very little air or light into the center of the plant. remove half of the shoots when they first emerge to increase air circulation and prevent diseases such as powdery mildew. the increased light encourages compact growth and more flowers.
-seeds can be tricked into thinking the conditions are right for sprouting. some thick-coated seeds can be soaked for a day or two in a glass of water, mimicking the beginning of the rainy season. the water softens the seed coat and in some cases washes away the chemicals that have been preventing germination. other thick coated seeds need to be scratched (scarified) to allow moisture to penetrate the seed coat and prompt germination. some seeds must be given a cold treatment, which mimics winter, before they will germinate. mix the seeds with some moistened sand, peat moss, or sphagnum moss. place the mix in a sealable bag and pop it into the refrigerator for up to two months, being sure the sand or moss doesnt dry out. the seeds can then be planted into a pot or tray.
-when a cutting has rooted, apply a foliar feed using a hand held mister. plants quickly absorb nutrients through the leaves, and by feeding that way you can avoid stressing the newly formed roots.
-IPM integrated pest/plant management. the goal of IPM is to reduce pest problems to levels of damage acceptable to you rather than spraying or dusting to eliminate every pest in the landscape.
-the main drawback of using chemical or organic pesticide is that it may also kill the beneficial insects you have been trying to attract. people think that because the pesticide is organic, they can use however much they want. an organic spray kills because it contains a lethal toxin. a large amount of pesticide is not any more effective in controlling pests than the recommended amount.
-pest control alternatives- antitranspirants to prevent spread of fungal spores, baking soda and citrus oil or horticultural oil for powdery mildew, sulfur for fungal.
-perennials i'd be interested in trying out or already grow: astilbe, black-eyed susan, balloon flower, bleeding heart, campanula/bellflower, chrysanthemum, clematis, coneflower/echinacea, daylily, euphorbia (blackbird, griffithii, dulcis chameleon), foxglove, gas plant, goutweed/snow on the mountain, hollyhock, hosta, lambs ears, liatris/blazing star, lupine, mallow, monkshood, peony, perennial salvia/sage, phlox, pincushion flower, yarrow.
May 23, 2013
Last year's drought followed by a long hard winter killed almost all the flowers we had planted (mostly on a whim) throughout the various beds in our yard. That was a good motivation to finally learn something about growing flowers and glancing through "Perennials for..." at our local B&N made it seem like an excellent place to start... and it has been!
It probably helps if you know a little something about gardening in the first place... like what tools to use... or what compost is... But if you have a basic knowledge of growing stuff outdoors the specific skill updates in the short "how to" section are quite useful to get you in gear focusing on perennial flowers.
There is a very nice three page section showing all the flowers covered in the book for easy reference and the short 2-4 pages dedicated to each plant are very accessible and have just the information you need to figure out which will do best in your particular garden(s). A very handy reference that I know I'll be using for years to come. Go pick up a copy if you want to grow some beautiful flowers!
It probably helps if you know a little something about gardening in the first place... like what tools to use... or what compost is... But if you have a basic knowledge of growing stuff outdoors the specific skill updates in the short "how to" section are quite useful to get you in gear focusing on perennial flowers.
There is a very nice three page section showing all the flowers covered in the book for easy reference and the short 2-4 pages dedicated to each plant are very accessible and have just the information you need to figure out which will do best in your particular garden(s). A very handy reference that I know I'll be using for years to come. Go pick up a copy if you want to grow some beautiful flowers!
May 17, 2010
My plant bible!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews