Peony power Peony lovers can take in the fragrance and color of more than 4,000 peony bushes at Swenson Gardens' first public tours of its peony growing fields in Howard Lake, Minn. Many of the intersectional hybrids and herbaceous peonies will be bursting with blossoms in a wide variety of hues.
Owners Keith and Becky Swenson will give tips for designing gardens with up to seven weeks of peony color. Fresh-cut peony blooms also will be for sale.
The tours will be held rain or shine from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 28, 29, 31 and June 5. Parking is about 1/8 of a mile from the fields at 10958 SW. 70th St. in Howard Lake. Call 763-350-2051 or go to www.swensongardens.com.
LYNN UNDERWOOD
'Earrings for your tree' Looking for new spaces to garden? Maybe you've overlooked your trees. Specifically, the V, where the biggest tree limbs join the main trunk.
An Illinois entrepreneur is hoping to help gardeners discover the possibilities in that overlooked spot. Bill Bradshaw says he got the idea for the new product after he noticed a flower in his tree that a squirrel had apparently planted.
So he decided to imitate and improve on that effect with a planter he calls TreeDazzle. Basically, it's a burlap bag filled with potting soil and shade-loving plants that you provide, then it's placed in the V of a tree trunk.
"It's like earrings for your tree!" Bradshaw says.
