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

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

This woodland garden contains Miss Kim Lilac, bleeding hearts turtlehead and Ligularia (all deer resistant). The Ligularia need a lot of moisture.
The tree peony is completely hardy in Southeast MInnesota.
The large pond in late spring. Everything is green!
Epimedium Rubrum (Barrenwort) is a surprisingly sturdy, albeit, delicate spring plant for the shade garden. It expands in size over decades not years, especially when located in deep shade. There are many varieties available but we suspect that only a few are reliable here in zone 4. This is a subtle plant, easily overlooked on a garden tour!
Spring in the garden. Daffodils are blooming. Certain daffodils return year after year without thinning and replanting. Others die out after 5-10 years. Don will identify the ones that last for decades in a later update.
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.
Closeup of the Pink Flowering (double) Almond shrub. This is a difficult shrub to maintain in good repair. The rabbits eat the bark in the winter and wire protection is needed. Whole branches die off in winter, leaving an uneven appearance in spring. Flowering is erratic depending on the winter. A sheltered site might be best for this shrub.
Pink Flowering (double) Almond shrub. This is a difficult shrub to maintain in good repair. The rabbits eat the bark in the winter and wire protection is needed. Whole branches die off in winter, leaving an uneven appearance in spring. Flowering is erratic depending on the winter. A sheltered site might be best for this shrub.
Magnolia Butterflies is an attractice 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.
The Minnesota strain (recently replaced by a Wisconsin strain in some nurseries) of Redbud growing here is hardy, but the extent of bloom is dependent on the severity of the previous winter (like so many other ornamental trees). The winter of 2001-02 was relatively mild and shown here is a vigorous bloom. The blossoms appear before the leaves.
Some people are surprised to hear that Magnolias do very well in Minnesota. This is the yellow Elizabeth Magnolia tree. It is quite spectacular, especially following a mild winter. The base of all shrubs and ornamental trees should be surrounded by welded wire. Rabbits will eat almost any type of bark if hungry enough!
Springtime in Rochester! On the left is a Snowdrift crabapple tree and on the right is a Japanese (Whitespire) Birch. Paper Birch do poorly in Rochester and are prone to birch leaf miner. With good care, other varieties fare better, including the Japanese and River Birch.
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.
The Leonard Messel Magnolia tree grows to 20 feet. It is a fairly consistent early bloomer, although an unusually harsh winter will limit the bloom. However, as evidenced by this picture, spring snow has little effect on the bloom!
Tree peonies grow in Minnesota! Although they survive all that winter can throw their way, they do not bloom after a harsh winter. This picture shows the tree peony after a moderate winter. Blooms last only a week, but for that short time, bees take all the pollen they can find. Can anyone name this tree peony?
Tree peonies grow in Minnesota! Although they survive all that winter can throw their way, they do not bloom after a harsh winter. This picture shows the tree peony after a moderate winter. Blooms last only a week, but for that short time, bees take all the pollen they can find. Can anyone name this tree peony?
The children's cottage was built by Don in his spare time. Inside, it is lined with tongue and grove pine boards and has all the comforts of home! The hood at the back is an exhaust fan.
The Leonard Messel Magnolia tree grows to 20 feet. It is a fairly consistent early bloomer, although an unusually harsh winter will limit the bloom. The hose in the foreground was use to sprinkle just uncovered tea roses (recovering from the Minnesota tip) to prevent drying. Due to the time commitment, we stopped growing tea roses. However, done right, tea roses are worth every minute of effort!
The fountain opens early, well before the last frost, since running water doesn't freeze. It is a welcomed reminder that Spring is here! This daffodil picture was from the spring of 2002. Year 2003 was a relatively poor year for daffodils, either because of a very dry fall or marked fluctuations in winter temperatures. An Autumn Blaze Serviceberry is starting to bud at the right of the picture.
Hosta of many types are found in this garden. Hosta, of course, are a staple of nearly all Minnesota gardens. They live forever, are easily divided and look good until mid-summer. Some, like Royal Standard extend the season by blooming in August and are highly scented. Deer like Hosta, but not as much as they like rose tips. Occasional use of Hinder deer repellent keeps the deer off the Hosta.
Pink Peony. Is this Raspberry Sundae?
Single white Peony. Is this Krinkled White?
Pink Peony. Is this Bowl of Beauty?
The Gas Plant is a great plant! It is slow to establish but completely reliable and is in full bloom earlier than most perennials. This is the alba version. We also have a rubra version. The Gas Plant is so named because the flowers emit a gas. If you light a match next to a flower some evening, a burst of flame should occur.
We think that varigated Hosta are the most attractive of the many kinds of Hosta. We make no attempt to keep track of the Hosta species - there are so many! Hosta, of course, are a staple of nearly all Minnesota gardens. They live forever, are easily divided and look good until mid-summer. Some, like Royal Standard extend the season by blooming in August and are highly scented.
Tall Bearded Iris are nice to have in any garden. Some varieties seem very hardy, while others die out over time.
Once established, the Giant Allium is a survivor here in Minnesota. It blooms in late spring with the Poppies (background). It divides very slowly.
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.

Summer photos

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

The Monarda or Bee Balm is a long lived plant that no garden should be without. It is low growing in the spring (did it make it through the winter or not?), but has a growth spurt before blooming. This red version is probably Gardenview Scarlet and is a standout when in bloom for about 3 weeks. It needs to be cut back after blooming and unfortunately, leaves a hole in the garden for the rest of the season. It doesn't like to be crowded by other plants.
Small pond with Rudbeckia in the foreground and Karl Foerster ornamental grass on either side. Both tolerate some shade.
Hypericum is a 2 foot high shrub that is covered with yellow flowers by mid-summer. The flowers are extremely attractive to bees. The shrubs pictured here died back after a few years and did not respond to aggresive pruning. It is deer resistant and demands full sun. It is more attractive than Potentilla.
This orange Clivia is indistructible. It blooms in shade on the patio in July and must be brought indoors for the winter. It continues to look nice and green indoors with practically no care. When all risk of frost is gone out it goes on the patio again.
Veronicas seem to underperform here in southeast Minnesota. Once the bloom is done, they need to be sheared to tidy them up.
Aster Frikartii is an early blooming aster that tolerates shade. It is a reliable, hardy plant here in Zone 4.
According to the experts Purple Loosestrife is a noxious weed and is banned from the nurseries. It will overtake shallow bodies of water, but in a garden it is beautiful and well behaved. It definitely likes wet soil but is perfectly happy in regular garden conditions too.
Yellow Peony - Bartzella. This is an intersectional or Itoh peony which is a cross between the tree peony and the standard garden peony. It is resistant to peony fungus and the blooms don't fall over. The flower shape and array of color comes from the tree peony. It is fully hardy in southern Minnesota and totally deer resistant. A great plant!

Fall photos

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

the Fall Fiesta sugar maple is a very attractive hard maple. It tolerates wet clay in this location. That's Silver Feather ornamental grass in the foreground.
Don grows Dahlias for their impressive size and late summer/fall beauty. There are thousands of names plants, which means little once they start to bloom. This pink, unnamed variety is an especially strong variety. Behind it is the shrub Hydrangea Tardiva. The bulbs need to be dug every fall after the first frost and stored in wood shavings in a cool (40-50 degrees F) spot.
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.

Winter photos

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

The Amaryllis bloom indoors in the winter. Here is a great way to keep the bulbs healthy and blooming year after year. Place the plant outdoors after the last frost in the spring and fertilize. Bring the potted plant indoors in the fall, cut the leaves off, let it dry out until November-December, then start watering again. Plant in a larger pot so that the bulb has room for daughter bulbs to develop over the years.
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

Shopping Cart

1 item(s) in your cart
Subtotal: $5.00
view cart view cart | check out