Growing guides
Plant-parenting advice from the family
Thirty-plus years of growing chemical-free teaches you a few things. These are the questions we answer most at the greenhouse — written down so you can take them home.
Containers & Baskets 2
Eight container recipes
Thriller, filler, spiller combos built from plants we actually grow — for shade, sun, hummingbirds, and deer country.
Read the guide → Containers & BasketsKeeping hanging baskets happy
The watering rhythm that keeps a basket full and blooming all the way to frost.
Read the guide →Perennials & Shrubs 2
Hydrangeas, sorted out
Panicle, smooth, bigleaf, oakleaf — which ones actually bloom in Minnesota, and why yours might not.
Read the guide → Perennials & ShrubsPerennial bloom times
A month-by-month chart of what blooms when — and how to build a bed that never has a boring month.
Read the guide →Minnesota & Seasons 2
The Minnesota planting calendar
The whole growing year at a glance — what to plant when, and where the frost lines really fall.
Read the guide → Minnesota & SeasonsWill it survive a Minnesota winter?
Minnesota's hardiness map changed in 2023 — what the new zones mean and how hard to push them.
Read the guide →Problem Solving 2
Understanding your soil's pH
The single number that decides whether your plants can actually use the nutrients you give them.
Read the guide → Problem SolvingWhy are my leaves turning yellow?
Reading the pattern of the yellowing tells you whether it's water, nitrogen, or iron.
Read the guide →Pests & Critters 2
Deer- & rabbit-resistant annuals
The annuals and herbs browsers usually skip, the "candy list" to protect, and how to tell who's eating what.
Read the guide → Pests & CrittersDeer- & rabbit-resistant perennials
The long-lived perennials browsers walk past — sun, shade, and native picks — plus the four to protect.
Read the guide →Houseplants 2
How to build a terrarium
The layer recipe for a little world that runs itself — and the two mistakes that turn it into a swamp.
Read the guide → HouseplantsPet-friendly houseplants
The houseplants that are safe around cats and dogs — and the popular ones that surprisingly aren't.
Read the guide →No guide on that yet
We’re adding more all the time — and in the meantime this is exactly the kind of thing we love talking through in person. Call us at (763) 742-8774 or stop in and ask.