Upstate Gardeners' Journal

02/13/2025

TRAILING VINES: As part of my Town’s Environmental Conservation Board, we make lots of suggestions for inclusion of native plants in the landscaping of projects we review. I really think a lot of people just don’t know what native plants can offer so I’m going to try sharing pix from my place of native plants from time to time so people can see the beauty and landscaping appeal! If you have any questions about growing them, please ask - I would be happy to answer any questions. 🙂

Brown eyed Susan, Rudbeckia triloba - best to consider this a biennial. They can be a short lived perennial but my experience is a biennial nature. They will self sow if you don’t deadhead. In fact, these like many native plants are “bird feeders” if you leave the seed heads! Just say no to deadheading. This is one of the few plants left from the previous owners. She was a dedicated gardener of a different generation so her ideas of gardening meant mostly non natives and things that were completely unsustainable without a lot of effort. This plant has moved from area to area over the 20+ years at my home. Best to grow in places that you don’t tend heavily so you can let the volunteers grow and get pretty! They love full sun, can grow in dry, poor soil, and are very water wise needing very little to thrive. They would be perfect in a natural styled hell-strip! They bloom in the second half of the growing season for a very long period. I have had them bloom well into fall and up to frosts. They are often included in my photo roll with late season pix of asters and goldenrod. Good wildlife support.

Kimberly Burkard, Upstate Gardeners' Journal

02/13/2025

Feel free to add your own suggestions for cut flower Valentines alternatives in the comments!

02/13/2025

Be like a farmer—plant with intention, water with patience, and trust the season to bring what you need.

02/07/2025

Winter dreams and summer sun — it’s a gardener’s life!

Transformation Tuesday: The seasons change, the beauty remains the same. And if you’re tired of winter—better (warmer) days will be here in due time. Clifton Springs, NY and Frederick Farms in winter & summer.

02/07/2025

Big or small, doesn’t matter — Both can make a difference! As you can see, this is a very small space and the owners have many pollinators. Read up on your local pollinator species to learn what plants support them. You can make charming spaces that serve you and the wildlife that calls your yard home. A couple tips:

- Avoid pesticides. Avoid plants treated with them.
- Native plants will overall best serve your pollinators. Make sure to include mostly them. Have some nonnative favorites? You can still slip them in.
- Rethink beauty! A few chewed leaves may means you have succeeded in supporting the next generation of butterflies and other pollinators!
- Leave the leaves and learn how to have a much softer hand in tending your spaces. You will see even more pollinators if you do. Plus more birds!
- A water feature can round out your wildlife support! 🐛🦋

Here’s my wife and my little butterfly garden in Northern California (US). In the peak of summer we will have a constant flurry of butterflies (20-30) as several years back we loaded up the garden with butterfly host and nectar plants. Plants the butterflies can lay eggs on and drink nectar from. We call it home. 🙂

02/07/2025

Got any zucchini tips to add?

Mistakes I made growing zucchini:

Improper plant spacing- 1 per square foot is decent.

Knowing that the balance between female/male flowers will occur around summer solstice.

When there is an imbalance of male flowers to female flowers, I can save the pollen for hand pollination.

Not pruning leaves- pruning helps the pollinators reach the flowers and increases air movement to help reduce mildew.

Not feeding them enough- zucchini are pretty heavy feeders to put on so much plant material and nearly continue fruiting until they pitter out. I feed them every 2-3 weeks now.

6-8” harvest is the best for fresh eating and anything larger is best for bread making.

Support Alaska Seeds: our heirloom zucchini seed. Link in bio and in comments.

02/07/2025

Have you ever tried this? I have and it does work! -kim

02/02/2025

As long as they are not parsnips or peas, your seeds can have a shelf life - how long depends upon the seed. See the blog article for some tips!

Before you order more seed packets for your garden, check your stash. You may have plenty of seeds that will grow just as well this year.

01/26/2025

Explains a lot, doesn’t it?! 😁

01/25/2025

01/25/2025

🌱 Save Seeds, Save Money, Grow More 🌱
Seed saving is a simple, cost-effective way to make your garden self-sufficient while preserving plant diversity. Join Master Gardener Karen Soanes to learn about this ancient practice that’s still used by many today.

Saturday, February 1, 2025, 10-11 AM at the Ogden Farmers’ Library. Registration is required.

https://calendar.libraryweb.org/event/13364459

01/22/2025

Hosting a seed swap? Add your event details in the comments!

National Seed Swap Day is on Saturday, January 25th. It’s a great opportunity for people to share their favorite varieties of seeds, as well as to try out new varieties that they may not have had access to before. Collecting and exchanging seeds has many benefits ranging from preserving rare, heirloom varieties to saving money on seeds. Not to mention that the exchange of seeds perpetuates and improves biodiversity and promotes the ultimate form of recycling within your local area.

All gardeners ranging from novices to horticulture experts can benefit from the long-honored practice and tradition of seed swapping.

There are a variety of ways to swap seeds. Here are some suggestions:

Check to see if your local library has a seed library.

Find local seed swap groups on social media.

Have a seed swap party with friends and neighbors. Everyone can bring their excess seeds to swap.

Support your local seed library with seed or financial donations.

Spread awareness about seed swapping by posting on social media.

01/22/2025

In the quiet embrace of the garden, the soul finds its melody. 🌸