It’s the time of year Iowa gardeners eagerly anticipate. Spring plant sales provide a taste of what’s to come and a promise of the potential offered in the coming growing season. Following are upcoming plant sales in Eastern Iowa. Leave a message if your group has a plant sale to add to the list. Edible […]
You are browsing archives for
Category: gardening
Easter Showcase happening this weekend a...
CEDAR RAPIDS – An annual tradition returns this weekend, with an open house at the Noelridge Greenhouse, known as the Easter Showcase. The event will be Saturday, April 15 and Sunday, April 16 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Noelridge Greenhouse, 4900 Council Street NE. Admission is free. The first 500 children age 12 […]
Growing history in South Amana, Iowa
By Cindy Hadish/for Iowa Gardener SOUTH AMANA – Visitors to Cottage-in-the-Meadow Gardens can take a step back in time. A 1900 brick house anchors the site in South Amana, one of the seven Amana villages in Eastern Iowa, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Cottage-in-the-Meadow in itself is a rarity, with a listing […]
Preparing for the big freeze in Iowa
Much of Iowa is under a frost or freeze warning tonight – Oct. 12, 2016 – into tomorrow morning. The National Weather Service notes that temperatures will drop to between 26 and 32 degrees over most of the state, including Linn, Johnson and Winneshiek counties, while frost is expected in southeastern counties, such as Scott, […]
Nature watch: the praying mantis
By Cindy Hadish/Homegrown Iowan Fall is an excellent time to view interesting insects and one of the most fascinating is the praying mantis. With its bulging eyes, elongated body and front legs that sometimes appear to be crossed in prayer, praying mantises may unnerve some people, but actually are beneficial. Their prey includes flies, grasshoppers, […]
Back to nature: Cedar Rapids backyard at...
By Cindy Hadish/for Iowa Gardener In a backyard once nearly devoid of nature, dozens of fish zigzag in the water, a frog peeks out near a lily pad and a robin alights on a stone to sip from a pond. The scene is tranquil, with the landscaping intentionally designed to draw in wildlife. Monica Morley […]
Photo gallery: Market After Dark and Bru...
By Cindy Hadish/Homegrown Iowan UPDATED Aug. 31, 2016, with new Market After Dark attendance estimates Crowds filled the streets of downtown Cedar Rapids on Aug. 27, for the second annual Market After Dark, while gardeners flocked to the Brucemore Garden & Art Show earlier in the day. Market After Dark, the nighttime version of the […]
Market After Dark and Brucemore Garden &
Two exceptional events are happening this weekend in Cedar Rapids, and fortunately, you won’t have to choose between them. The annual Brucemore Garden & Art Show returns from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, followed by Market After Dark, the nighttime version of the Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market, from 6:30 […]
Surprise lilies make summertime appearan...
Like clockwork, surprise lilies, also known as “naked ladies” are making their annual appearance. The perennial flowers sport lovely foliage early in the season, which disappears with the summer’s heat. By late July or early August, pink flowers tinged in blue simultaneously pop up, seemingly out of nowhere. Other names, including magic lily and resurrection […]
“Staggering surprise” Cedar Rapids woman
Wanda Lunn spent last week in Chicago at the North American Lily Society Show & Convention, where more than 200 of the best lily stems in the United States and Canada competed. Several of the lilies she brought to the show from her Cedar Rapids garden won ribbons, but one, she said, brought “a staggering […]