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

Spring photos

(25 photos) click on photo for larger view and caption

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!
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.
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).
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.

Summer photos

(24 photos) click on photo for larger view and caption

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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.

Fall photos

(6 photos) click on photo for larger view and caption

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.
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).
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.
The American Cranberrybush gradually yields its crop of scarlet berries to the birds over the winter months. This shrub needs to be pruned regularly!
A bow of Silver feather ornamental grass hangs over the pond.

Winter photos

(6 photos) click on photo for larger view and caption

Winter amonst the Populars.
Thornless Hawthorne tree has a characteristic shape.
Winter scene.
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.
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!
Red Silver ornamental grass lines the walkway down to the house. This grass persists well into the winter.
Johnston Honey Jar

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