See the Johnston Honey Gardens
Gardening in Minnesota is all about identifying what thrives in a harsh climate, is resistant to deer and rabbits and stays in flower the longest. Perennial gardens change constantly; the key a good garden is to have plants of interest throughout the seasons - daffodils and peonies in the spring, shrub roses in early summer, Rudbeckia Goldstrum in late summer, asters in the fall and ornamental grasses all winter.
Take a tour of the Johnston Honey Gardens and see what works and doesn't work here in Southeast Minnesota.
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
Latest Photos
- Berries from this Snowdrift Crabapple tree attract flocks of Cedar Waxwings as they head south for the winter.
- 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.
- Autumn Blaze Spire is an upright, vase shaped Autumn Blaze Maple. It is cross between a sugar maple (color) and a silver maple (rapid growing/adaptable). It is mainly red in the fall, and is the earliest of the maples to turn color.
- Autumn Blaze Spire is an upright, vase shaped Autumn Blaze Maple. It is cross between a sugar maple (color) and a silver maple (rapid growing/adaptable). It is mainly red in the fall, and is the earliest of the maples to turn color.
- Fall leaves on the pond.
- Red Silver ornamental grass glistens in the low fall sunlight.
- Silvery Popular trees stand in the background (these have been mistaken for white birch, which grow poorly in SE Minnesta), while the seed pods of clematis, (species?) hang on the split rail fence. This variety of clematis produces a small, attractive white flower in mid summer. We give it lots of room, as it sends out vines up to 20 feet in length. This clematis eagerly seeds itself, making it a bit of a nuisance.
- Silver Feather ornamental grass provides great interest in the fall and winter garden.
- Silver Feather ornamental grass provides great interest in the fall and winter garden. The low mid-day sunlight accentuates it's beauty.
- 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.
- Once established, the Giant Allium is a survivor here in Minnesota. It blooms in late spring with the Poppies (background). It divides very slowly.
- Tall Bearded Iris are nice to have in any garden. Some varieties seem very hardy, while others die out over time.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pink Peony. Is this Bowl of Beauty?
- Single white Peony. Is this Krinkled White?
- Pink Peony. Is this Raspberry Sundae?
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!