My children’s kindergarten teacher — the iconic grandmother-type that every student cherished — used to give her soon-to-be students sunflower seeds at their classroom orientation in the spring. “Plant them, water them and watch them grow,” she would tell the bright-eyed, eager group. “When they bloom, it’s time for school!”
Sometimes the best tips are those handed down through the ages, rooted in the knowledge of our elders. We asked a Wisconsin gardeners group to share what they learned from their parents and grandparents.
• “Deadhead. Deadhead. Deadhead. You'll get so many more blooms,” was the main tip from gardener Erin Christie’s mother — and particularly helpful at this point in the summer, when your flowers may not look as perky as the day you planted them.
• “My best advice was from my grandpa,” Christie continues. “He was passionate about keeping invasive species in check, and it's something that's always stuck with me. Our land isn't just for enjoyment, we need to be good stewards as well. Leave the place better than you found it.”
• “My grandma had petunias. She told me to pinch them back, not snip,” says Kathy Z.
• “Mom told us, ‘Always wear long sleeves and a hat to protect from the sun,’” says Ann Guss.
• “Prune after bloom,” Julie Nilson reminds us.
• Remember the days of chores? Dellene Swast does. “My dad prided himself on his garden, and we were a big part of it,” Swast recalls.
“We lived on the corner of a busy highway and another busy road. He always got compliments on how beautiful his garden was. Well, do you know what his secret was? Child labor. Before the pool opened every day, we each had to pick a row and make sure it was weeded before we could go to the pool. You think that would have turned us away from gardening, but to this day as adults, we all still have the gardening bug and we are teaching our grandkids that same love.”
• Several gardeners commented that routine watering can be overlooked, especially on hot summer days after a thunderstorm. Here’s some advice for watering container plants.
“Water every day. Every day. Every day,” says Gary Newman, who relies on his horticultural degrees when giving advice. “Even on rainy days, unless we’re in a really wet pattern, know that very little rainwater actually gets into the pots during rain showers once plants are big and established. Leaves and flowers prevent rain from coming in, unless it’s raining cats and dogs.”
Newman adds that if gardeners need green filler plants at this point in the season, he suggests vinca, potato vines, sprengeri fern, ivy, and coleus.
• Every year, Rachel Hinterberg follows her grandma’s advice to wait until Memorial Day to plant, because you never know what Wisconsin weather will be like.
“My grandma lived in Milwaukee most of her life,” Hinterberg continues. “She passed away in 2018 at 92 years old. I didn't start gardening until 2020 and I absolutely love it. I think about her every time I'm gardening.
“Growing up, my grandma had a lilac tree in their backyard with the most beautiful blooms. I thought she was the best gardener in the world because her lilac tree bloomed all year, even in the dead of winter. It wasn't until I was about 9 years old when my mom finally told me my Grandma had tied fake lilac flowers to the tree. Genius!”
• Finally, singer Lukas Nelson used song lyrics to offer advice about gardening: “Turn off the news and plant a garden. Just my neighborhood and me. We might feel a little less hardened. We might feel a little more free.” MKE