CEDAR RAPIDS — Following a two-year hiatus, the popular Easter Showcase is scheduled to return to the Noelridge Greenhouse on Saturday, April 16, and Sunday, April 17, 2022. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event — where visitors can view tropical plants, cacti, seedlings and other plants that grow in the greenhouse — was not […]
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Category: gardening
Gardening tradition: Good Friday potato ...
Planting potatoes on Good Friday isn’t always feasible, but for 2022, it might make sense. Good Friday falls relatively late this year, on April 15, so while the soil temperature may not be prime when the Holy Day hits in March or early April, the soil might make it above 45 degrees Fahrenheit by mid-April […]
Garden forum addresses higher temperatur...
A free event from Project GREEN and the Iowa City Public Library will provide timely information on growing resilient gardens in the face of climate change. The Second Sunday Garden Forum will be 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13. The free event is open to the public. Related: Winter Gardening Fair plans in-person return in 2022 […]
Garden forums to feature botanical park ...
UPDATE: March 8, 2022: The final in a series of three Second Sunday Garden Forums will be held from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Iowa City. Project GREEN and the Iowa City Public Library will present the free event at the library, with COVID-19 precautions in place. Learn more from Project GREEN: Andrew […]
Freeze warning in Iowa hits later than a...
UPDATE Oct. 31, 2021: Some parts of Iowa have yet to experience a hard freeze or even the first frost of the season. That will change this week, as temperatures are predicted to fall below freezing early Monday, and even colder Tuesday morning. By some definitions, a hard, or killing freeze happens when temperatures dip […]
Iowa gardener forced to remove sunflower...
UPDATE Sept. 7, 2021: Roy Hesemann, utilities director for the city of Cedar Rapids, said due to the Labor Day holiday, the property had not yet been inspected, but was expected to be done this week. In an email, Hesemann said “City Code does not determine which plant varieties are allowed to be planted in […]
Delayed blooms offer surprise
Surprise lilies, also known as naked ladies and several other names, are typically incredibly consistent. If you see them in one person’s garden, like clockwork, you’ll see them all over town. This year has been an anomaly, with the first flowers spotted around July 24, 2021, but then none — at least of any noticeable […]
Cedar Rapids threatens derecho victim wi...
UPDATE July 20, 2021, with comments from Roy Hesemann, utilities director for the city of Cedar Rapids. By Cindy Hadish CEDAR RAPIDS – Tara Farris worked hard to turn blight into beauty after Iowa’s hurricane-strength derecho downed one of the trees in front of her house and the city removed the other. As Farris and […]
Where have all the beetles gone
As usual, my first sighting of a Japanese beetle — on June 24 this year — coincided with the ripening of my raspberries, one of their favorite foods. Iowa has coped with this voracious invasive species since it was first recorded in the state in 1994, but at least in my backyard, 2021 is proving […]
Tour 30-plus gorgeous gardens this weeke...
Organizers canceled the 2020 Project GREEN Open Gardens Weekend in Iowa City due to the pandemic, but the event is back for 2021 with more than 30 gardens, free to tour. Gardens, which include 29 private sites in Iowa City and Coralville, as well as the historic Ashton House and Xtream Arena roof garden, will […]