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diggIt's Almost Showtime
By Chris Lee
Photo by Steve Mchugh
This is the season when most gardeners are like antsy kids on a long road trip: Are we there yet? The only answer is the one I heard as a kid (over and over) from my long-suffering father on our long-ago summer treks: It won’t be long now.
In the meantime, I hope the gardens we’ve gathered in this issue will inspire you for the season to come. One of my favorites is “Spring Promise” (page 50), Bill and Penny George’s dazzling display of tulips. We captured these blooms early one morning last April so we could immerse you in this European-style cascade of color and form this year. Thanks to landscape designer Bob Harvey, these gardens, front and back, are filled with a kaleidoscope of colors from early spring to late fall.
Next, visit “A World Aflutter” (page 56), courtesy of three gardeners who set out an annual buffet for butterflies and—just as important—their hungry caterpillars. These folks grow wildflowers, milkweed, dill, and other favorites of monarchs and swallowtails. Come mid-summer, their gardens shimmer with lovely winged visitors. Then head north to take in the hillside sanctuary a Duluth couple created high above Lake Superior. The Petersons’ “Labor of Love” (page 66) is a tribute to their teamwork and talent for color and texture.
Finally, a call to action: We all know the water quality of our 10,000-plus lakes is deteriorating—that’s the problem. But we gardeners can be part of the solution for Minnesota’s growing water woes. A new initiative, dubbed “Blue Thumb,” is a coordinated effort to educate gardeners on how they can help clean up our state’s water—one yard, one garden, at a time.
I already grow tough, low-maintenance native perennials. And I know exactly where my new rain garden is going in this spring. See page 64 to find out how you can do your part.
Happy gardening!
Chris Lee, Editor
clee@mhmag.com
11 ISSUES (1 YEAR)
