GOT PLANTS?

The weather is heating up, and with it GARDENING season is about to be in Full-Swing! When thinking about your gardens, Nettie's Gardens can supply your Perennial and Annual plant needs! Plants come from a fantastic local grower.

We can provide:
Hostas ~ wide variety!
Native Plants ~ Grasses, Ferns, Rudbeckia, Penstemon, Phlox (woodland phlox), Echinacea (purple and pale purple coneflower)
GRASSES ~ Big & Little Bluestem, Sedges, Switch Grass, Prairie Dropseed, Cord Grass, Indian Grass
Perennial Wildflowers ~ Common Columbine, Bloodroot, Ginger Rood, Jack in the Pulpit, Merrybells, Shooting Stars, Trillium varieties, Virginia Bluebells

And So much MORE!!

There are many annuals that we can get for you as well, from Tomatoes, Peppers, and Herbs, to Petunias, Zinnias, and Marigolds!

Contact us today if we can be of assitance to you! We deliver the plants from the grower to your door for a minimum fee. We can also plant them if you so desire.

Have containers that need to be filled with plants? Contact us today.





Earth Angel Hosta

'Fanfare' Gaillardia

'Blue Mouse Ears' Hosta

Don't forget.... Nettie's Gardens can provide you with high-quality, affordable, locally-grown perennials and annuals for your gardens :)


contact us today!

May We Help You?

The time is here to start thinking about your garden! What new plants do you want to try this year? Have a troubled area of your garden? Nettie's Gardens is here for you!

From delivering quality perennials, annuals, and containers, to one-on-one help in your garden, we can help.

Contact today to get the ball rolling! Look under the Services tab to see all the different areas we can cover for you.

Too Far Ahead?

I am in Minnesota. We are about 6 weeks ahead of where we usually are, thanks to the warmest March on record! Needless to say, all of our gardens here are quite confused.

For example, my crocuses are usually the ONLY thing blooming in my yard at this point, while all else is brown. My hyacinths and daffodils are contemplating coming up.... But right now i have GREEN grass, my perennials are ALL coming up, and my Hyacinths are in full bloom. I actually almost missed my crocus blooms because of all the other things coming up!

Super weird = my rose bushes are fully leafed-out!!! This does not happen til mid to late May in a normal year. We are all hoping that we don't get a frost at this point.

One of the strangest occurrence's this Spring happened on the Ides of March...The frogs in the pond out back were already chirping! on MARCH 15th!! THAT was so weird!! We don't usually hear them until May either. AND... We were sleeping with our window open - IN MARCH.

Have you had an abnormally warm Spring? If so, what are you seeing now that you don't normally see at this time?

New Gardening Season!

Greetings, Fellow Gardeners!!

What an amazing winter we have had here in the Upper Midwest. Little snow, mild temps, and lots and LOTS of SUNSHINE. After last year, I think many of us embraced this mild winter with open arms.

It is now the end of February. What kinds of gardening thoughts are running through your head? I am assuming you are either perusing seed catalogues, or walking the aisles of the stores picking out your seeds. I am definitely thinking of what I am going to do in my own garden this Spring. We are going to make some changes in the front gardens, which will create more room for......TEST GARDENS!! YAY :)

Do you have a favorite source you get seeds from? What are you looking forward to most this growing season?

All Tucked In...Soon to Emerge!

Well, our gardens are all tucked in, and we are in the midst of winter. Although, it is more like a dry Spring out there lately!! I am not complaining, after all we endured last winter...

As you can tell, the blog posts here are not happening with regularity, but they will start picking up again come February!

Enjoy your seed catalogues as they start coming!

Share in a comment some of your favorite sources for ordering seeds/plants.

Time Passes...

I am amazed at how fast time goes. The regularity of the Autumn schedule will certainly help in planning blog-time!

Harvest & Canning season is in full swing! I honestly don't can, though i want to. I didn't seem to grow enough of anything this year. Just grew enough to eat off the vines :)

We have been harvesting green beans, golden raspberries, tomatoes (the Brandywines are amazing!), bell peppers, and even 2 eggplants. It was my first time growing them, and they were wonderful. We are also still harvesting from our cucumber vine! There truly is nothing like eating a tomato or cuke fresh from the vine, all warm from the sun....

What are you harvesting? Are you a canner? If so, what are you canning? Do Tell!!!

Indeed...

Thank you, Angela, at Blog Mommas, for the 'Blog of the Week' status!!

Has it truly been more than a month since I was here? Indeed, IT HAS! Forgive me, Gardening Friends. Sometimes I just don't know what happens to the time (especially with four kiddos running around!).

Cooler evening temperatures are upon us here in the Midwest. The days are getting a wee bit shorter, as it is dusk by 8:15pm. Truth be told, I love the cooler weather. This is when some gardens REALLY shine! The black-eyed susan's are still going strong; sedum is beginning to bloom, hardy gardem mum's are making an appearance, and Fall asters are getting ready to burst.

What are some of YOUR favorite Autumn blooms?

Funky Friday ~ Hostas!

Here we have the 'Empress Wu' hosta variety. It is one of the largest hostas in the world right now. Growing to a staggering 4' high with a spread of 5-6'! One leaf can measure 18" across. Now THAT is impressive!

Recently I have added 2 of these beauties to my collection. I am anxious to see what they do in the next couple years, as they are still young.  Generally, I don't get "in" to hostas, but if there is something new and different, that makes it stand out, I am excited to try it.

These beauties need mostly shade, but can handle morning OR late evening sun. Keep it away from hot afternoon sun.

pic from HERE

Another brand new hosta I have added to the garden this year is 'Blueberry Muffin'. It is a nice-sized hosta with a spread of about 36", and it has nice thick blue-green leaves that are puckered. Again, this is a new variety, and I am thrilled to see what it does in the garden next year.

 It has been awhile since I last did a Funky Friday! What new hosta varieties are YOU trying in your garden this year?

Bloomin' Gardens!!

picture by Nettie's Gardens, LLC

Boy, after the Spring we had here in the Upper Midwest, it seems a bit disgusting that it is already Mid-Summer, yet here we are! After so much cold and rain, we are finally in a nice warm stretch.

How is your garden growing? What do YOU have blooming/fruiting now?

We have our bell and hot peppers flowering! YAY!! The tomatoes are still a bit iffy here, but a few more days of hot sun will get them hopping. For the first time since they were planted, my Calamagrostis 'Karl Forester' grasses are blooming. They are simply beautiful. Never thought I would be so captivated by a grass! The Monarda have opened up and are blooming as well Coreopsis. In fact, just about everything is blooming around here, with the exception of Sedum.


Remember to keep things well-watered this time of year. If you let your plants get stressed, it will affect their blooming. It can take up to 2 weeks for them to fully recover.

What are you seeing in YOUR garden??

Under Attack !!



We are under attack! Ok, not us personally, but our garden. As I went walking around the yard (front and back) I couldn't help but notice these crazy red blotches all over my mature River Birch. After much research, I saw that it was Eriophyid mite.

Apparently they do not hurt the tree, and some people even like the crazy coloration. Not me, but there is not much to be done for it. 


Next, I was in the front yard and saw orange all over my Hollyhock leaves. Grrr. I love my Hollyhock, and was getting concerned. I thought it was a rust, and I was correct. Not too much to be done for this now, except remove the infected leaves and extra clean-up this Autumn.

Finally, the straw that broke the camel's back....Aphids. A number of varieties. DISGUSTING!! I had a little bit of Eight left, so I used that on my back gardens. In the front, they were all over my Achillea (yarrow) plants! I mean....ALL over. The GOOD NEWS is that there were plenty of beneficials on the plant as well. I did not want to use a chemical spray, as that would have killed the beneficial bugs, so I mixed some water and Dawn dishsoap in a bowl. Out I went to wage my war against the aphids. I grabbed each stalk and dipped it in the water mix, and the aphids all drowned. I may have to repeat this again, but at least I have won a major part of the battle. There were simply too many aphids for the good bugs to eat! And aphids multiply like, well, aphids (which is worse than bunnies).

What kind of insects are you battling in YOUR garden? How are you winning the war? I would love to hear from YOU!!

Plant Swap Items so far

We have all sorts of plants coming for the plant swap! drop-dead gorgeous lilies, AnnaBelle Hydrangea, Hostas, plants from NORWAY, sweet woodruff, misc. others, and some Beefsteak Tomato seedlings! Clara Curtis daisy, Achillea, and much more!! There are a few Pine tree seedlings, Monarda (Bee Balm), and many others.

Plant Swap !!

Here we are, one week out from the 3rd Annual Perennial Plant swap at my house. I am excited to see what people will bring, and even more excited to see the faces of those that will find a new plant to try, or just get some old standards to fill in a bare spot.

The swap is on Saturday May 21st, from 10:00am-12:00pm. Looking forward to SEEING some of you there!

If you are interested in coming, please email me at nettiesgardens@gmail.com

Funky Friday - A TOOL !!

I know it has been awhile since i have done a Funky Friday post...forgive me.... This week for Funky Friday I am featuring a NEW TOOL!!! Yes, it is pretty funky looking, so it qualifies! This is the  CobraHead Hand Tool that I received from Jan over at Thanks for Today for participating in the Gardeners' Sustainable Living Project with this post. It came in the mail yesterday, and it was finally sunny today, so i went out and tried it.  OH MY STARS! This tool is AMAZING! You can order one by clicking the CobraHead link above. I easily pulled out weeds, cultivated ground, and even got out dandelion taproots! Yeah, pretty cool!  No, I am not getting paid to advertise this...I am just so excited about my new "toy" for the garden :-)

SORRY... I HAD THE WRONG LINK UNDER THE COBRAHEAD HAND TOOL! IT IS CORRECTED NOW!!!

Now is the time to get out there and prepare your beds for planting!!

Weaving Tomatoes

This is a neat way to keep your tomatoes trellised. He also shows where the suckers are, how to take them off, and why you need to...

Worth watching if you have 6 minutes! The suckers info is toward the end.

This Week in the Garden...

 What a glorious morning! The sun is blazing down in all it's glory, such a welcome sight to these eyes that are tired of the gray-scale days we have been having.

Robins are gathering materials from the yard for their nests, which will hold the precious blue eggs! The Sparrows are wreaking havoc on the bird feeders, and the Red Wing Blackbirds are filling the poplars with their "songs" if you can call them that. And let's not forget the Grackels and Starlings (as much as we may want to!). The Cowbirds are also showing up at the feeders regularily. My favorites to watch are the House Finches and the Golden Finches. They are both so beautiful, and have lovely songs to sing.

Alright...on with the business of this post :)

*If you haven't already, you should uncover your roses. That should be priority number ONE right now. check for the branches that are dead or have winter damage, and prune them.

*Prune off any dead or broken branches off of trees and shrubs. It is more unhealthy to leave the broken branches on, than to get a good clean cut on the branch. I recently read an article that there is really no "wrong" time to prune. Granted, with Spring-flowering shrubs, you want to wait until after the last bloom fades, but if they are damaged you need to take care of them right away. You may simply lose flowers on that branch for a year, but it is better than disease getting in via a broken branch and you losing the whole thing.

*Remove mulch from your beds if you have not already done so (winter-protective mulch is what I am talking about). I did this a couple weeks ago, and was pleasantly surprised at all the plants that were beginning to make their appearances!

QUESTION FOR THE WEEK:  What are YOU going to plant this year that is new for you? Leave a comment with the plant you are going to try...

Gardening Basics Class

Hello!! Instead of posting the notes here from the class last night, I will be emailing them to The Garden Club. It is better for me...as there is a lot of work involved in getting them together, and I would like to protect them, if you can understand? So, for those of you in the Club, check your inbox for the notes!!

We has a wonderful class, with lots of good questions. Seemed that shade gardening is at a very high interest level, so i will anticipate a good turn-out for that class in June!

We have the 3rd annual Plant Swap coming up on SATURDAY, MAY 21st!

Be careful in the slushy weather coming up!

Brussels in Bloom: Carpet of Begonias

Okay, this is AMAZING!! A friend sent this to me, and I just HAD to share it!!

Nettie's is READY!

Well, the season is finally upon us (if you don't pay attention to the possibility of SNOW in the near future), and it is time to start setting our thoughts on....GARDENING OUTside!

I have cleaned off my garden beds and have been enjoying to the FULL my crocus blossoms. They are white, purple, and white with purple stripes. Realizing I want to add yellow to the mix for next Spring!

 The birds seem to all be "twitter-pated" (Owl's term from Bambi), so i anticipate some bird nests being started in our birdhouses.

How about you? Have you been thinking of that bare spot in your yard? Not sure what to do with it? Remember that I am available for consultations... $25.00 for up to 45 minutes. Have a hankering for some creatively made containers this year? Pop me an email, and we can talk!

"You can garden, I can help."

Helping the Environment

Jan, over at Thanks for Today, is holding her 2nd Annual Gardeners' Sustainable Living Project, in which she asks us garden bloggers to share things we are doing in our gardens to help, or not harm, the environment. I love the idea, and so i joined in this year!

There are a number of things I do, very intentionally, as a Minnesota gardener. One of the easiest things I have done is to use native Minnesota plants in my gardens. The book Landscaping with Native Plants of Minnesota has been a valuable resource for me. These plants are proven to handle the conditions Minnesota can dish out, and are mostly drought-tolerant. That is very important to me, as I don't want to waste any water, if at all possible. Once the plants are established, I usually have to water them just once a week, and that only if it hasn't rained. I water at the ground level, not using a sprinkler most of the time. I simply lay the hose down in the garden and let it run. That way I don't lose much to evaporation.

Mulching is a big thing i do for my garden. I use significantly less water when i mulch the beds, and containers! The water does not evaporate off, and the soil does not dry like a garden without mulch. Less water= less waste= happy environment!

As far as pesticides/insecticides go, I choose to not use them. I do not use them because there are many beneficial insects/bugs/spiders that I want to keep in my garden. I am the one who will go out there and pick off the bugs one-by-one! I can often be found lying under my rose bushes picking off japanese beetles!

These are just a few of the things I do to be a responsible gardener as far as our environment goes.

What  are some things that you do?