Gardening folklore calls for potatoes to be planted on Good Friday, and with the date relatively late this year, the timing could be right. In Iowa, appropriate potato planting time varies from early April in southern portions of the state to mid- to late April for northern areas. As of April 15, 2025, soil temperatures […]
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Category: gardening
Eastern Iowa plant sales sprouting early
Plant sales, where gardeners can find locally grown perennials and other plants that perform well in Iowa, are off to an early start this year. Tender plants, such as tomatoes, peppers and annual flowers, should wait to be planted outside until after the final frost, but others, including native plants, can successfully be planted in […]
Garden forum highlights how to create a ...
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Project GREEN’s Garden Forums are underway this winter, with the February forum highlighting micro-prairie landscapes. The free presentation will be 2-4 p.m. Feb. 9, 2025, at the Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn St. The presentation will also stream live on Iowa City Public Library’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thelibrarychannel. Read more […]
Preparing for an Iowa freeze
While Iowans have basked in summer-like weather for most of this fall, forecasts predict a possible freeze this week. Some parts of the state may have already experienced a light frost, but a freeze — when temperatures dip below 32 degrees — is more damaging to plants. In 2023, parts of Iowa escaped a killing […]
Why lilacs are blooming out of season in...
Typically a harbinger of spring, lilacs have made an off-season appearance in Iowa this August and September. Lilac bushes that lost their foliage over the summer have blossomed in pale purples as the season ended. Just as stress brought on by Iowa’s 2020 hurricane-strength derecho led spring-blooming trees to blossom in the fall, the fragrant […]
Magic lilies bring early surprise
That time of year is arriving a bit early this summer. Magic lilies, also known as surprise lilies or naked ladies, tend to bloom in synchronicity in Iowa. If you see them popping up in one part of town, you’ll generally see them in another. Abundant rain in Iowa may have led to an earlier […]
More than 20 Iowa City-area gardens spot...
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Gardeners can find inspiration at more than 20 area gardens that will be open to the public during Project GREEN’s Open Gardens Weekend 2024. Project GREEN has curated more than 20 host gardens — private and public – that will be open from 4-8 p.m. Saturday, July 13, and 10 a.m. […]
A Midsummer Night’s mystery: theft from
“The robbed that smiles steals something from the thief.” — William Shakespeare’s “Othello” CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Supporters of Shakespeare Garden in Cedar Rapids had plenty to smile about during their annual Midsummer Garden Arts Fair on Saturday, June 29, 2024, in spite of a hit to their revitalization efforts for the nearly century-old garden. […]
Native plant sale among features at Noel...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The Noelridge Greenhouse is hosting its annual Mother’s Day Showcase this Sunday, May 12, a free event that began in 1972. Read more from the city of Cedar Rapids about the 2024 showcase: The annual Mother’s Day Showcase is Sunday, May 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Noelridge Greenhouse, […]
Plant sales jump start gardens in Easter...
Iowa’s roller-coaster weather continues this spring, after record high temperatures in February followed by winterlike winds and frost just this weekend in late April. Read about the Three Frozen Kings frost warning legend Generally, perennials, such as hosta, daylilies and native plants, can tolerate frost, though some annual flowers and vegetables are tender and prefer […]