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.

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!
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!
The sound of running water adds tranquility to any garden.
The seed pod of the Cucumber Magnolia is displayed here. The tree grows to more than 40 feet in a more hospitable climate. It is on the edge here in Minnesota and has died back more than once during a harsh winter. Still, it soldiers on!
Hollyhocks are beautiful for only a small portion of their existence (but still worth growing). They are biennials, so they appear in bloom every other year, reseeding themselves (here and there) on the off year. After flowering they gradually die back, usually with ample fungus to hurry them along. To make matters worse, deer really like Hollyhocks, so beware!
The Oriental Lily Black Beauty stands in the background, reaching 6 feet. Unlike most Oriental Lilies in Minnesota, it returns every year without winter protection. Below is the Oriental Lily Star Gazer, easily the best known Oriental Lily. Like Black Beauty, it winters well in Minnesota.
This decorative form of the Dahlia is a spectacular plant, and comes in many, many colors. Does anyone know the name of the variety shown here? Although you must dig it up every year, and store it in a cool spot over the winter, it is a welcomed sight from late summer to the first frost. Don doesn't bother digging the tubers up (storage is tedious) and simply plants new ones every year.
This collection of deer resistant plants was also chosen for it's flower power in later summer. The tall pink flowers on the left are Joe Pye Weed and it's white kin on the right is the Bartered Bride Joe Pye Weed. Both are very attractive to bees and butterflies. The yellow daisy in the middle is Rubeckia Goldstrum, probably the best perennial in Minnesota, and in front is Miss Kim Purple Coneflower.
The Etoile Violette clematis grows on a simple wire trellis and provides depth to the perennial border. This is the best of the clematis, with excellent winter hardiness, reliable, long lasting flowering and intense color. A great plant!
It's hard to get a perspective on the height of this plume poppy, but it is about 10 feet high! You need lots of space for this perennial. It comes back from root, suckers and also seeds itself (some call it invasive). It is very hardy, and makes a bold statement, if you have the room. It's a cool plant, but not one you will find in many nurseries.
This clematis is the Jackamanii variety. Like many clematis it does quite well in shade. This one is sheltered at the back of the house and sees only mid-afternoon sun. The wrens come to this birdhouse every year, but they insist that we cleaned it out in the spring! It is one of the many products built by our friend, Chuck Love.
This Catmint is probably Walker's Low variety. It is a great plant, and is very attractive to the bees. It should be cut back in July and really does bloom again. However, if you don't (like Don, most of the time) it seems to come back to life on it's own for a second flowering in August!
This Henry Kelsey Explorer series shrub rose(and all the others we have) never bounced back from an exceptionally harsh winter about 4 years ago. Still, it doesn't do too badly, considering the lack of care all summer!
A Henry Kelsey climbing shrub rose is seen in the foreground, FJ Grootendorst shrub rose is in the middle, and a purple Etoile Violette clematis (bee and deer ratings) climbs the wall behind. This is our best clematis! It is extreme hardy, has consistent growth and is long blooming. It is not frequently found in the nurseries.
Perhaps someone can identify this Asiatic Lily. These are Don's favorite perennial. Only certain varieties (perhaps the older ones) last over the years in our garden. Asiatic Lilies that come from Sam's Club seem to do the best!
Here are several well established hosta showing off their foliage. Red perennial poppies stand above them (bee and deer ratings). Poppies add nice color to the garden, and then die back without a trace until next spring.
We don't know which hardy shrub rose this is, but it blooms profusely early in the season and is very disease resistant. It also spreads rapidly by underground suckers, and it may become a nuisance.
The hardy shrub garden looks great for about 3 weeks in June. Henry Hudson Explorer series (the most deer resistant shrub rose, relatively speaking!) line the fence, while the Harison's Yellow rose is prominent in the background. This is an outstanding yellow rose for short time in June. It is also very hardy, with very little dieback. However, as branches age over the years, they become prone to dieback, so regular thinning is a good idea.
The beauty of this hardy shrub rose garden depends on the severity of dieback from the previous winter (and just how hungry those rabbits were!). This garden becomes quite unsightly by late July as fungus takes it's toll. Fungicides are not used in our gardens! The red rose in the foreground may be George Vancouver.

Fall photos

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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

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