Design n Bloom

Today I noticed our lilies are starting to sprout. These are lilies we received (yes, even florists and gardeners get plants and flower arrangements as gifts) and then planted around our yard.

Trivia question: When do Easter lilies bloom?

Well, that's a bit of a trick question! Normally, lilies will bloom in mid-summer. The lily plants you see blooming at Easter have been forced to bloom at that time by exposing them to 1,000 hours (42 days) of moist cold temperatures and then warming them up to 60 - 70 F, causing them to sprout and then bloom. Once they sprout, it is about 40 - 45 days before they bloom, at least in our yard here in Eagan MN (between USDA hardiness zones 4 and 5)

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Your fresh arrangement has been prepped and fed to give you long-lasting enjoyment. Every arrangement we deliver was made to order with the freshest flowers possible. To keep your bouquet looking fresh longer, we've prepared a care and feeding guide for you.

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 We are coming up on the 14th of February - a day set aside to observe love and devotion.

Since Valentine's Day is observed worldwide, this isn't just another Hallmark holiday. It is the second most celebrated holiday in the world (New Year's Day is #1). In fact, Valentine's Day goes back quite a ways - to the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14th as a day to honor St. Valentine (A real person! Actually, there are several saints named Valentine - possibly as many as 11). continue reading ...

Both of us had grandparents known for their gardens and we were blessed to get to know them. We hope we may have even inherited some of their passion. For them, gardening was much more than tending plants - it was a part of life. Their gardens allowed them to share their abundance with friends and neighbors, and were not just for their own enjoyment.

Mae Holm (Gayle's grandma), passed away last May, at the age of 103. Today would have been her 104th birthday. Grandma was the original namesake for Design n Bloom - we were Mae Flowers - but, it was suggested we choose a more descriptive name. continue reading ...

Recently, I attended a seminar on planting for clean water presented by the Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District (Dakota County SWCD), Blue Thumb and the city of Eagan. Living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes and truly enjoying sitting on our deck looking out over a man-made pond each summer, we have a vested interest in how we plan and care for water management in our yards.

Just counting those with a surface area of an acre or more, there are about 200 natural lakes and wetlands in Eagan, and almost all are part of a stormwater drainage system. Adding in the man-made waterbodies, there are over 1,200. The stormwater management area shared with my neighbors "across the pond' is much smaller than that, but it supports quite a bit of wildlife. From the time the ice is out (nice and early this year) until it freezes over again in December, we watch for the returning ducks and mergansers to hatch new generations of their families, listen for the frogs to start their springtime serenades (a couple just started last night), and we smile when the turtles wake up and start sunning themselves on the big rock again.

You may not have a waterbody on your property like we do, but chances are, you enjoy time at a lake or on a river - Minnesota has the highest percentage of people vacationing in the state where they live. You've also got a roof over your heads, rain gutters and downspouts to divert water away from your foundation, a driveway, sidewalks and probably a little bit of lawn. Everyone of those contributes to runoff and adds to the stormwater management system. If we don't do a better job of restoring some of the native plantings that used to handle rainfall, more of our waterbodies will be turning green instead of blue.