Northwoods Gardening Food and Fun

02/14/2026

What an absolute beautiful soaking rain today!!
Happy Valentine’s Day!!!💖💖

12/10/2025

🤣😂🤣

12/10/2025

05/20/2025

05/20/2025

Could Your Garden Use a Pop of Bold Purple Year-Round? 💜

Tradescantia pallida, also known as Purple Heart Plant, delivers striking evergreen purple foliage that makes a statement in any garden space. This tough yet elegant plant grows in short mounds reaching just 8"" tall, but its trailing stems can spread up to 18"" or more, creating a dramatic cascading effect that catches the eye.

Want the most vibrant purple leaves possible? While this beauty thrives in partial shade, exposing your plant to bright light (but not harsh afternoon sun) intensifies that gorgeous purple color you fell in love with. You'll be rewarded with small pink flowers throughout the warmer months, adding delicate contrast to those bold leaves.

Caring for your Purple Heart couldn't be easier. You'll appreciate its drought tolerance and minimal maintenance needs—water moderately during growing season, fertilize monthly in spring and summer, and trim back after flowering for bushier growth. Is there anything more satisfying than a showstopping plant that thrives on neglect?

For instant garden impact, plant Purple Heart as groundcover in zones 10-11 or grow in hanging baskets anywhere to showcase those trailing purple stems. Simply take 4" stem cuttings to propagate new plants and multiply your purple paradise.

05/06/2025

🐝🌱 We've begun "No Mow May" - are you starting to get a little anxious that your grass is long and the dandelions and clovers are having their way? Don't fear - letting your lawn get lawn get a little shaggy can be beneficial to your grass later in the summer! Enjoy the pollinators and take this time to get your mower serviced!

05/04/2025

🌀✨Today 5/2/25 is a palindrome day. May’s packed with these quirky dates. A palindrome reads the same backward and forward—like level, radar, or even 11:11. Numbers and dates get in on the fun too, like 5/20/2025! https://www.farmersalmanac.com/its-palindrome-day

05/04/2025

It can be really common for peonies to refuse to flower. Or if they do set buds, those buds refuse to open. If you want a stunning display from your peonies this year, here's what you need to do:

05/04/2025

It’s nearly that time of year…when you get to play in the dirt as an adult!! 🤣

04/27/2025

With rain comes thunder and lightning. Be safe if you're outside during these times. Mother nature shows her love of earth.

The lightning, not the thunder, is what puts nitrogen into the ground. Here's how it works:
* Breaking Nitrogen Bonds: The atmosphere is about 78% nitrogen (N_2), but this form isn't usable by most living things because the two nitrogen atoms are held together by a very strong triple bond. Lightning provides the immense energy needed to break these bonds.
* Formation of Nitrogen Oxides: The intense heat of a lightning bolt (much hotter than the surface of the sun!) causes the separated nitrogen atoms to react with oxygen in the air, forming nitrogen oxides (like NO and NO_2).
* Creation of Nitrates: These nitrogen oxides then dissolve in atmospheric moisture (like rain or snow) to form nitric acid (HNO_3) and eventually nitrates (NO_3^-).
* Delivery to the Soil: When it rains or snows, these nitrates are carried down to the Earth's surface and into the soil.
* Plant Use: Plants can absorb these nitrates through their roots, using the nitrogen to grow.
So, while thunder is the sound produced by the rapid heating and expansion of air around a lightning strike, it's the electrical energy of the lightning itself that drives the chemical reactions leading to nitrogen fixation in the atmosphere.

04/26/2025

If ever there were an unforgettable bloom, it’s the forget-me-not flower. Famous for their delicate blue flowers featuring ...

04/26/2025

What to Do When Hydrangeas Want to Maximize Blooms?