James' Garden
James garden is under the 100-year-old oak tree located high on the hill near the back of our property. He likes to help his Dad weed the garden and plant new plants in the spring! James picked some of his favorite garden pictures to show you.
Visit each family member's garden
- Jessica's Garden
See Jessica's favorite garden pictures
- Julianna's Garden
See Julianna's favorite garden pictures
- James' Garden
See James' favorite garden pictures
- Sharon's favorites
See Sharon's favorite garden pictures
- Don's favorites
See Don's favorite garden pictures
- A bow of Silver feather ornamental grass hangs over the pond.
- Red Silver ornamental grass lines the walkway down to the house. This grass persists well into the winter.
- The American Cranberrybush gradually yields its crop of scarlet berries to the birds over the winter months. This shrub needs to be pruned regularly!
- Silver Feather ornamental grass grows 10 feet high and survives nearly any winter ice or snow storm. It is the longest lasting grass in the winter garden. We cut it down in the spring with a chainsaw, and divides it with a pickax!
- Peonies share the spotlight with a purple Siberian Iris. Peonies last for decades and falter only in persistently wet soil. Email us if you know the variety of this peony!
- Red and white peonies come back year after year with minimal care. You can't go wrong with these plants. But remember, ants like them more than bees!
- Once established, the Giant Allium is a survivor here in Minnesota. It blooms in late spring with the Siberian Iris and Tall Bearded Iris(background). It divides very slowly.
- Dewarf Korean Lilac is a wonderful choice of shrub for the late spring. The gardenia-like aroma is intoxicating! It likes sun but does well in shade. It should be pruned occasionally to remove suckers and to shape.
- The 'Pink Hawaiian Coral' Peony, is a relatively newcomer in the world of peonies. It is not quite as vigorous as the standard varieties here in Minnesota, but still it is very attractive.
- These are the unripened fruit of a Magnolia Vine, something not likely found in Minnesota nurseries. A subtle plant, it is awaiting its place in our garden!
- Closeup shot of the Dewarf Korean Lilac. This shrub produces an incredible springtime aroma. It is easy to manage, grows in the shade, and looks respectable all summer!
- Here is a sample of the thousands of Daffodils that welcome Spring into our garden. Daffodils are totally deer and rabbit resistant (not many plants can claim that!), so they take the place of tulips and crocus in our garden.
- Meadowlark Forsythia is a fairly hardy early flowering shrub in our garden. It may not flower after a particularly long, cold winter. It needs to be thinned out every 2-3 years.
- A wild thorned Hawthorne tree that was saved from the bulldozer when the backyard was cleared. It grows on a limestone hillside covered with a thin layer of soil and blooms reliably each year.
- Crown Imperial Fritillaria is one of the first bulbs to appear in the spring. Although difficult to establish, it becomes a reliable springtime bloomer. Yellow and variagated Crown Imperial Fritillaria also grow in the garden.
- Plum trees put on a great show every spring. Some varieties, including Toka, Pipestone and Superior produce good crops of plums. The downside of all plum trees is the short life span. Although one must replant frequently, they bloom profusely after only a couple of years.
- It is difficult to capture the full beauty of this shrub rose garden. It is a spectacular, albeit short lived appearance that occurs in June for about 3 weeks. By mid-summer blackspot has taken it's toll on the foliage. A few varieties rebloom well into late summer.
- This Carefree Beauty shrub rose has it's day in June/July. Advertised as an everblooming, disease resistant rose, it is lacking, as are most of the Carefree varieties.
- The hardy shrub rose William Baffin, Explorer series is shown here. It is a reliable June/July bloomer, but tempermental as a rebloomer. It can be devestated by fungus and dies back in a very cold winter. Old stalks need to be pruned out in the fall or early spring to maintain vitality. It is a better climber than the Henry Kelsey shrub rose.
- Viburnum, Arrowwood in full bloom. This is a totally reliable shrub that gets to be 10 x 10 feet in size. It turns burgundy in the fall.
- Johnston Honey Perennial Gardens and Flowers in Minnesota
- We show this Carolina Lupine not so much for its beauty, but for it's uniqueness and reliability in a garden where the other lupines fail to thrive. Once the bloom is complete the Carolina Lupine needs to be cut back. It can also be easily divided in spring.
- Two Mediland, Alba shrub roses bloom in the background, and Nearly Wild shrub roses bloom in the front. The Alba is a very disease resistant, hardy rose in our garden. It is also a good repeat bloomer. It can become very large following a mild winter and bloom profusely over a couple of months. It tends to die back every 3 years or so, as the larger branches age. These could also be pruned out, but we might miss a show like the one you see here!
- A new clematis (can you help us with the variety?) scrambles up a trellis. Clematis must be protected from the deer. Many clematis, including this one, do quite well in the shade.
- Tall Blue Delphinium are attractive but need care. They are not reliably hardy, and deer love them. Without fall mulching, they last a couple of years, after which survival is variable.
- Kim's Knee high Coneflower is a new version of the Purple Coneflower; it is a little shorter and the petals point down more consistently. The purple color seems a little more intense as well. They seed well, but also survive in their orginal location making for an ever growing patch of Purple Coneflowers.
- Star Gazer is one of the few reliable Oriental Lilies that we can grow. It divides slowly, but seems to come back every year. Their beauty is outstanding and for a short time they dominate the summer garden. These bulbs came from Sam's Club!
- Rudbeckia Goldstrum or Black-eyed Susan Coneflower is the backbone of the mid-late summer garden. It is the perfect plant! It is completely winter hardy, drought resistant, tolerates a fair bit of shade, stays forever in one location but seeds just enough to provide additional plants, transplants easily, blooms hard for at least 2 months when little else is in bloom and even provides some winter interest.
- Monarda or beebalm Gardenview Scarlet (we think) is a big hit in the garden for a short time. It should be cut back after blooming to tidy up and to encourage the plant to spread.
- Nearly Wild hardy shrub rose is the best shrub rose available. It survives the coldest winter, blooms consistently and profusely early in summer and then again in early fall, it is relatively deer resistant (the deer still like it!), and it is highly disease resistant. There is nothing better!
- Stella D'Oro Daylily is a favorite landscape plant at the Mayo Clinic because it is hardy and blooms for at least 2 months during the summer. It is easy to divide too. It needs a reasonable amount of sun to thrive.
- Snow Drift Crabapple is a consistent bloomer and attractive to the bees. It is quite resistant to fungus and retains it's leaves during most summers. The orange apples are a big hit with the Cedar Waxwings in the fall.
- The Ninebark shrub in the background grows to about 8 feet. Old stalks need to be pruned out to maintain vigor and shape. The golden foliage is a welcomed sight in Spring, followed by white flowers. The leaves become a little ragged by Summer's end, and the Fall foliage is unremarkable. It loses its leaves slowly over the winter. In the foreground is a white Spirea that branches like a Bridlewreath Spirea, but it is smaller and with sturdier branches (help!).
- Snow piles up on this winter morning. Paradoxically, a thick blanket of snow is good for the garden by providing insulation from the cold and wind.
- Winter scene.
- Thornless Hawthorne tree has a characteristic shape.
- Winter amonst the Populars.
- Orchid Frost Spotted Dead Nettle (Lamium). This is the best ground cover for dry shade. As a bonus it is completely deer resistant. A pink flower arises above the silvery foliage in spring. However, the greatest attraction of this plant is how attractive it appears thoughout the year. It spreads quickly but it is not invasive and it suppresses the weeds.
- Orchid Frost Spotted Dead Nettle (Lamium). This is the best ground cover for dry shade. As a bonus it is completely deer resistant. A pink flower arises above the silvery foliage in spring. However, the greatest attraction of this plant is how attractive it appears thoughout the year. It spreads quickly but it is not invasive and it suppresses the weeds.
- Arendsii Acontium finally bloom in late October. This shade tolerant plant will survive several frosts before finall succumbing to winter. It is one of the first perennials back up through the newly thawed ground in spring. This plant is truly a 3 season perennial for the shade. It is poisonous if eaten (animals seem to know this without testing the plant first).
- Spider plants (cleome) are annuals that consistently come back each year by reseeding themselves (and change colors by cross fertilization). The flowers are incredibly attractive to bees. It is best to set aside a separate garden for your Cleome. There is no need to thin out the smaller plants (can if you want) as the strongest ones will dominate and bloom until frost.
- Rudbeckia are right up there with Chelone as the ideal plant for Minnesota gardens. They tolerate shade, heat, drought and poor soil. Shown here is a small pond at the edge of a pathway leading up the hill. The orange relection of a goldfish can just be seen in the pond. During the winter, a heater provides a hole in the ice that allows gas from degraded plant material (toxic to fish) to escape. The waterfall continues to operate during the winter dispite the buildup of layers of ice. If the power goes out, the waterfall is toast until spring.
- It is very difficult to capture on film the true beauty of a mid summer garden in the late afternoon sunlight. This is the best that Don could do and it is not even close to reality. Still, the immense variation in greenery is apparent. That's a self seeded Ironweed plant (tall, purple flowers) in the middle.
- Rubeckia Goldstrum (forefront), pink Carpet Rose (mid), white phlox and Sweet Autumn clematis are good plants for the late summer. Sweet Autumn clematis suffers from a name idenity crisis. It is also known variably as Clematis paniculata, C. maximonowicziana and C. terniflora. It is a terrific fall bloomer. It is scented, vines up to 20 feet and is covered in white blossoms for a month. The problem with this plant is that it is not completely hardy in Rochester, MN. It is such an important contributer to the fall garden that you should consider replacing it on a regular basis.
- The Autumn Blaze flowering or ornamental pear (the fruit is very small and not edible) is one of the few reliably hardy pear trees in Southern Minnesota. It blooms well after a mild winter, but may have a restricted bloom following a more severe winter. It's fall color is a beautiful red and is consistently one of the last trees to turn. Change of color is easily aborted with an early start to winter weather. Branch form is excellent, although this takes time. Shown here is a young tree that has not yet established good structure. Pruning requirements are minimal.
- The Harrison shrub rose is a winner in chilly Minnesota. It is very hardy and blooms realibly each year. The bloom lasts about 2 weeks and it is spectacular. Enjoy it because there is no repeat bloom. The shrub needs to be thinned of old branches or cut to the ground every few years to maintain vigor and winter hardiness.
- Apple trees are hard to photograph! The blooms are not as robust and plentiful as plum trees. These apple blossoms are just opening, adding to their lack of pizzazz. However, there is nothing like a beautifully scented apple tree to shake off the winter blahs. This tree is probably a MacFree apple tree. It requires minimal spraying yet produces a worm and blemish free apple. THey taste great! Unfortunately, it does not appear to produce yearly.
- A Red Splendor Crabapple tree is shown in the foreground and a Snowdrift is seen in the background. Crabapple trees are very popular here in Rochester. They are difficult to kill, and reliably bloom in the spring. The problem is that the bloom lasts only a week, and many become unsightly in the summer as disease takes it's toll on the foliage. The Red Splendor produces bright, red berries that persist throughout the winter. Early arriving robins eat them in the spring. They also attract the occasional pileated woodpecker.
- Hypericum, Kalm St Johnswort. This is a low growing shrub that is incredible attractive to bees. It blooms for a long time and might be a good shrub to plant in mass. It should be mulched adequately in summer to maintain moisture. Hardy in Southeast Minnesota.
- Bright yellow spring follage of the Ninebark contrasts with with the weathered three story wren house built by our carpenter, Chuck. A Toka plum tree is about to burst into bloom on the left. The Ninebark is a hardy shrub that has small white flowers in the spring. Older branches need to be pruned out every year or two.
- Early Stardrift. This is a wonderful bulb (www.dutchgardens.com). It is very attractive to bees. Whereas crocus tend to die out in our area, Stardrift flowers reliably and spreads slowly. It blooms for weeks before dying back to prepare for the next season. Great speciality bulb!
- The Allium Globemaster first breaks through the ground in April and blooms in June. It is one of the first bulbs to appear as the soil warms.
- The tree peony is an exotic plant for the Minnesota garden. It is hardy, but after a harsh winter it may bloom sparsely, or not at all. Try to buy plants on their own roots. Tree peonies and their cousin, the herbaceous peony, are very reliable early spring perennials.
- Maple flowers (develop into samaras) provide the honey bees with their first source of pollen used to feed the larva. This is an Autumn Spire maple and grows more slowly and is more upright than most maples. However, it is not a consistent performer and may decline in vigor with time if not perfectly happy. The leaves tend to turn red very early in the fall (the less vigorous the tree is the earlier the leaves turn).
- Vinca grow under the white pine trees and make an early spring appearance. They are reliable and spread but do not grow thickly enough to crowd out the weeds. Weeding is a pain! The pine needles provide a mulch and help control the weeds.
- Plum trees put on a great show every spring. Some varieties, including Toka, Pipestone and Superior produce good crops of plums. The downside of all plum trees is the short life span. Although one must replant frequently, they bloom profusely after only a couple of years. Compare this picture to the one of 6/1/2002 to see how they grow!
- Trumpet Lilies are a terrific plant....for 3-4 years. They tend to die out, either from a harsh winter, or a dry fall. If kept moist through summer and fall and mulched carefully in the winter, they may thrive. Trumpet liies spread their scent over the entire garden. A wire enclosure is necessary in Don's garden to keep the deer out. Even though the deer could nip at the branches protruding out of the enclosure, they seem to be afraid of the wire. Besides, in July there is a lot of desert items to chose from!
- Trumpet Lilies are a terrific plant....for 3-4 years. They tend to die out, either from a harsh winter, or a dry fall. If kept moist through summer and fall and mulched carefully in the winter, they may thrive. Trumpet liies spread their scent over the entire garden. A wire enclosure is necessary in Don's garden to keep the deer out. Even though the deer could nip at the branches protruding out of the enclosure, they seem to be afraid of the wire. Besides, in July there is a lot of desert items to chose from!
- Helianthus 'Lemon Queen'. This is a very vigorous,. large sunflower. It blooms for 2 months, late in the summer when other perennials have long since given up. This plant is fully hardy in zone 4 and it tolerates some shade. Bees really love it!
- The Knockout shrub rose is a fairly disease resistant new shrub rose that bloom profusely in early summer and again in late fall. The blooms will survive the first few frosts. However, contrary to the advertisements for this rose, it is not perfect. It is susceptible to fungus if planted in the wrong location and it is not super winter hardy. Mulching in the fall might improve survival. Regardless, Don recommnends it for mass plantings with the anticipation that 1-2 will need to be replaced each spring. The red Carpet Shrub rose is hardier and more disease resistant, and blooms about the same amount.
- A new duck pond has been built at the Johnston Honey Farm. The challanges are to find plants that tolerate heavy, wet clay soil, and are deer resistant. A portion of the garden surrounding the pond is shaded. So far, in descending order of shade tolerance, Monkshood (Arendsii Acontium), Miss Kim's Knee High Purple coneflower, Rudbeckia Goldstrum, Karl Forrester ornamental grass, and nepeta (Walker's Low) do the best.
- Heliopsis helianthoides - Summer Sun Oxeye is one of the best Heliopsis in the Johnston Honey garden. It blooms throughout the summer and doesn't need deadheading. It reseeds just the right amount so there are some new plants each spring. The only downside is the aphid infestations that can occur later in the summer. It is fairly deer resistant.
- This is probably an Upland White Aster. It was obtained from Quebec, Canada several years ago and has thrived here in Minnesota. It tolerates poor soil, and blooms for a long time during the summer. It is not deer resistant!
- The Cascading Begonia needs to be stored in a cool place during the winter (a ziplock plastic bag filled with shavings will do), but are worth the effort. Replant one or two bulbs in a hanging basket each spring and by early summer they will be blooming.
- The fountain in winter.
- The wrens have left for a warmer place. Their song is one of the most welcomed sounds of spring.
- This unnamed Kaufmanniana tulip is a reliable perennial, unlike most tulips. It blooms before the larger tulips and nearly all daffodils. It is a beautiful sight on a sunny early spring day!
- Lamium or Dead Nettle is a fine ground cover for all sorts of shady conditions, including dry shade. This is probably Orchid Frost with purple flowers. Other varieties are commercially available, and there seems to be some spontaneous hybridization going on as well, with different shades of pink and yellow appearing throughout the garden. It generally holds it's appearance during summer and fall. Deer don't bother it.
- This yellow Asiatic Lily was purchased at Sam's Club many years ago and has outlived nearly all it's highly touted, expensive cousins. We have found that Asiatic Lilies tend to die out over the years, aggravated by increasing shade, poor soil, fungus and overcrowding. In general, the more exotic the Asiatic Lily the shorter it's lifespan!
- Mass planting of Hosta. Regular spraying with Hinder keep the deer away. The yellow Hosta are deer resistant.
- Autumn Clematis really does smell sweet!
- Guinea Fowl like it hot! This flock gradually diminished over the summer as owls, racoons and coyotes feasted on them.
- The large pond in spring. Plants in the pond are cattails planted in pots. the pots have holes drilled in the bottom to allow some roots out to help anchor the plant to the rocks below.
- Hosta garden.
- Close up of an onion flower head.
- The Rocket Lingularia is totally deer resistant and shade tolerant. It needs lots of moisture and needs to be carefully monitored during hot summers. It keeps coming back year after year even if you forget to water it.
- The Red Diamond Hydrangea is a butterfly/bee magnet. Here is a Swallowtail butterfly feasting on the nectar.
- Minnesota bred hardy Chrysanthemums are fairly reliable but some will die in a harsh winter. There are at least 35 varieties now available. http://www.bussegardens.com/ is a good source.
- The first Knockout rose was red and single. The pink and double versions are not quite as vigorous or hardy. The yellow version is a big disappointment. It's disease resistance is not as good as Nearly Wild and doesn't tolerate as much shade. It reliably blooms in early summer and again in the fall. The fall bloom is particularly impressive and lasts till frost.
- Purple Dome aster is a reliable low, bushy aster for the fall garden. It is easy to divide and replant. Deer love it!
- Arendsii Acontium finally bloom in late October. This shade tolerant plant will survive several frosts before finall succumbing to winter. It is one of the first perennials back up through the newly thawed ground in spring. This plant is truly a 3 season perennial for the shade. It is poisonous if eaten (animals seem to know this without testing the plant first).
- Nanking Cherry is an excellent blooming shrub for spring. Large numbers of very tasty cherries appear in June. Recently, these shrubs needed to be cut back to the ground after about 15 years of free growth in an effort to rejuvenate. It is not at all certain that this will happen and they might need to be replanted.
- Nanking Cherry is an excellent blooming shrub for spring. Large numbers of very tasty cherries appear in June. Recently, these shrubs needed to be cut back to the ground after about 15 years of free growth in an effort to rejuvenate. It is not at all certain that this will happen and they might need to be replanted.
- Magnolia Butterflies is an attractive small tree (25 feet) choice for Minnesota. It has terrific yellow blooms after most winters (harsh winters are an exception). It seems to thrive even in heavy clay soil. Rabbits may lunch on the bark in heavy snowfall, so a protective wire fence around the base is a good idea. The foliage turns a pleasant yellow in fall. This is a very nice small tree.
- Cedar fencing is an attractive garden fixture that also has a role as a deer deterrent. Deer can easily jump over the 3 rail fence but in the summer when food is plentiful they need a very good reason to jump. Combined with an occasional spraying of the deer repelent Hinder, the fence is an effective barrier to deer. The fence is partially hidden by plantings of Monkshood and Turtlehead along it's paremeter.
- The gold bleeding heart is one excellent spring plant! For some reason, it is not that common in the nurseries at the moment, but is a must for the lightly shaded garden. It retains it's glow until early summer and later in deeper shade. It is totally deer resistant and it is easy to grow. It is easy to divide in the fall. It needs moisture to thrive.
- The tree peony is fully hardy in SE Minnesota. It is deer resistant and tolerates a little shade. I think a better plant is the new Itoh Peony, a cross between the tree and herbaceous Peony. It dies back to the ground in the winter whereas the tree peony does not and is prone to damage by winter storms and marauding deer.
- In the foreground is Flowering Raspberry. To the left is a Beauty Bush and in the background are Korean Lillacs. All these shrubs do well in SE Minnesota and tolerate moderate shade once established.