Numerous Iowa gardeners have noticed a change in the color of their lilacs this spring. Normally purple lilacs, to quote Procol Harum, turned a whiter shade of pale. The perfumed blossoms, a springtime favorite, still carried their fragrant scent, but didn’t look as colorful as in previous years. Linn County Master Gardeners covering the “hortline” […]
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Category: gardening
Plant sale has connection to history
A plant sale in Iowa City, set for this Friday, May 20, has a connection to the past. P.E.O. Chapter HI will offer a variety of plants at its Second Annual Sale from 1-4 p.m. at 500 St. Thomas Ct., just off Rochester Avenue in Iowa City. The P.E.O. recently received plants with a special […]
Gardeners ready to dig into spring plant...
Gardeners who time it right just might be able to make it to all of these 2022 Eastern Iowa spring plant sales, many of which are happening on the same day. This spring has been exceptionally cool, but planting season will soon be underway, with the sales also timed to hit just before Mother’s Day. […]
Easter Showcase plans return to Noelridg...
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 […]
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 […]