Jessica's Garden

Jessica's garden is at the top of the hill behind the house. It is a sunny garden, and Jessica likes to pick bouquets of brightly colored flowers. The parade starts in April, when the daffodils appear above the frozen ground. It finishes in the autumn when the Asters put on their remarkable display of color and swarms of bees visit for one last taste of sweet nectar.

Visit each family member's garden

Spring photos

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

Bright yellow spring follage of the Ninebark. 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.
Magnolia Jane. The blooms appear before the leaves. More blooms after a mild winter. Recurrent blooming tends to occur into summer. The tree is perfectly hardy in Southeastern Minnesota.
Close up of a Toka Plum tree. This tree puts on a termendous flowering display each spring. The plums are decent, but not quite up to the standard set by Superior and Alderman. Toka are needed to provide pollination for other varieties of plum trees.
Two Toka Plum trees. These trees put on a termendous flowering display each spring. The plums are decent, but not quite up to the standard set by Superior and Alderman. Toka are needed to provide pollination for other varieties of plum trees.
Crocuses are a great addition to the spring garden. They are very attractive to the bees and provide a welcomed splash of color after a hard winter. It is best to plan to plant crocuses every year as they have a substantial attrition rate over the years. The small ones (above) seem to do better than the giant varieties.
Snowdrops are very attractive to bees. These small bulbs return reliably every year and slowly spread. They die back in early summer and the trick is to avoid digging them up as they lay hidden beneath the garden surface.
Euphorbia, Cushion Spurge. This plant reproduces by seed throughout the garden. It is otherwise well behaved and the yellow flowers are a welcomed sight in spring. In the foreground, to the left is a Raspberry Splash Pulmonaria (which is not overly hardy).
Apple trees are hard to photograph! The blooms are not as robust and plentiful as plum trees. This is a Honey Crisp apple tree and blooms more profusely than most apple trees. There is nothing like a beautifully scented apple tree to shake off the winter blahs. Honey Crisp is the most sought after apple in Minnesota. It is also the most expensive to buy in the grocery store. It has rock star status right now! They taste great! Unfortunately, they are hard to grow and need a strict program of spraying to keep looking nice. It is a heavy annual producer.

Summer photos

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

Phlox David. Phlox tend to be bothered by fungus and the lower leaves turn brown. David is touted as resistant to fungus, but it is all relative. Some Phlox tend to be short lived but reseed vigorously, including David. It is a nice addition to the late summer garden. Seedlings appear early in spring and can be easily transplanted to more desirable locations.
The Japanese Lilac is a hardy small tree for Minnesota. It reaches abot 30 feet. Ocasionally it doesn't bloom, but when it does, it is a grand sight. It grows in poor soil and competes here sucessfully with Serbian Spruce on the left and a Colarado Spruce on the right.
Pot of Begonias in the morning sun.
Chelone Obliqua (Turtlehead) is a wonderful plant. It begins to bloom in mid summer and continues till late fall. It is one of the first plants to get going in the spring and it provides some winter interest. It is very shade tolerant and soil tolerant. It is easy to divide and can be spread around the garden with ease. It grows quickly but it is not the least bit invasive. The flowers are attractive to bees and it is totally resistant to deer. In a word, it is the perfect perennial. The Hotlips version is not as vigorous, shorter and has darker green leaves. The white version is much less vigorous and has lighter green leaves.
Dahlias bloom late in the summer with the Rudbeckia Goldstrum (background) and tree form Hydrangea Tardiva (left and right). Dahlias need to be dug up each fall or new bulbs planted each spring. Don hasn't have much luck with over wintering; finding a dry room with a steady temperature of 35-45 degrees in Rochester during the winter is difficult. It has been easier to simply buy new tubers each year. Dahlias need to be watered and/or mulched to promote growth. They are somewhat attractive to deer, but an ocasional spray with Hinder will effectively deter them.
This is the common Purple Coneflower. It tends to spread about the garden by reseeding, but also comes back fairly reliably from root each spring. It is hard to improve upon this plant. Fairly deer resistant and a little bee friendly, it is a nice plant to have around. It is also the source of the health supplement Echinacea, which is good for most everything! Purple Coneflower is drought resistant.
Trumpet lilies are not particularly hardy in Minnesota. However, this variety (please help with identification) keeps coming back. The heavy perfume of the trumpet lily is like no other plant in the garden. It even exceeds the Lilac for scent, and it is much more attractive!
Trumpet lilies are not particularly hardy in Minnesota. However, this variety (please help with identification) keeps coming back. The heavy perfume of the trumpet lily is like no other plant in the garden. It even exceeds the Lilac for scent, and it is much more attractive!

Fall photos

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

Witch Hazel Hamamelis virginiana is hardy to zone 4 and survives in some very poor conditions. It tolerates shade and poor soil but thrives in sun and fertile soil. Note the subtle yellow, ribbon like flower petals that appear in late fall.
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.
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. This might be overcome to some degree by not cutting it back until spring. It is such an important contributer to the fall garden that you should consider replacing it on a regular basis.
Emerald Carousel Barberry. This shrub has abundant yellow flowers in early spring, green leaves all summer, and a beautiful red color in fall. It is deer and disease resistant.
Emerald Carousel Barberry. This shrub has abundant yellow flowers in early spring, green leaves all summer, and a beautiful red color in fall. It is deer and disease resistant.
The Autumn Blaze maples turned more yellow than red this fall. Lots of rain allowed the trees to produce more Chlorophyll later into fall than usual. Thus, softer yellows not brillant reds dominated.
Purple Dome Asters are a welcomed sight in fall, and take the place of fickle (and not very hardy) chrysanthemums. They attract swarms of bees and butterflies. By the way, any flower that attracts bees, will also attracts butterflies!
Silver Feather ornamental grass provides great interest in the fall and winter garden. The low mid-day sunlight accentuates it's beauty.

Winter photos

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

Prairie Fire Crab tree retains it's apples well into winter.
Winter cottage scene.
Ornamental Pear in winter.
Winter scene.
Colorado Blue Spruce contrast with the surrounding Deciduous trees following an ice storm.
Johnston Honey Jar

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