Try a "sake plant or mother in laws tongue" aka Sansevieria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria They are really hard to kill and tolerate sparse watering. A lot of so called indestructible house plants nee lots of light so be wary of your location/sun

Hi Caitlin, I am not sure what you mean by "pretty," but here are some suggestions for you to consider.
Tropical Plants could include Rubber Plant, Jade Plant, Sanseveria 'Black Coral', and Sanseveria 'Laurentii', Phapis Palm, Ti Plant (magenta-like leaves), and Janet Craig Limelight.

However, before you go off and buy the store out, where do you want to put the plant and what type of light is in that area? Some plants will require bright sunlight for most of the day, while others do very well in low light or a shady area of your house. For example, Spider Plants require bright, direct sunlight; Pothos Vines can handle indirect light and do well under fluorescent lights; Aloe, requires full sun, but can survive in a shadier area (and if you tend to get boo-boos, the Aloe Plant is great for relieving pains from burns, itchiness from mosquito bites, etc.

Other possibilities are Chinese Evergreen (low light) and if you want a hanging container consider Walking Iris, which creates a delicate white and blue flower. The flowers only last a day, but maintenance is close to zero.

I hope these few suggestion help.

Rabbits don't like Marigolds...plant those around your other annuals and they'll stay away! :)

Hi Kirsten,

Rabbits in Edina? You jest! When the snow begins to melt, rabbits will eat pretty much anything that looks green. Once vegetation is more available then tend to be less of a bother, unless of course, what they are eating is what you don't want them to eat.

First, almost any herb (except Basil) is Rabbit proof.
You can also consider a mix of perennials and annuals, such as Yarrow, Columbine, Sage, Asters, Balsam, Begonias, Coreopsis, Dahlias, Bleeding Heart, California Poppy, Ferns, Daylillies, Candytuft, Lupine (Red and Blues make a great color combination), Bee Balm, Beard Tongue (Penstemon), Santolina, Lamb's Ears (nice fussy leaves), and Verbena among others.

Hope this helps.

@ Kirsten. There are few things rabbits wont eat specifically in the spring and fall. It's more of a sliding scale. Try intermixing daffodil bulbs with other bulbs, as most animals dislike them/smell. Actually squirrels and rodents are just as responsible. Always keep back up seed. Also try some of the more decorative low fencing at one of the hardware stores. I've found the lists of squirrel and rabbit proof plants are somewhat misleading. But strong smelling ones like herbs tend to work better. Some of the rules of companion planting will help as well. Like marigold hedges, and onion intermixing. Some of the native MN plants will work as well. Myself, I just use fencing.
@Kris-- It depends on if you are doing intensive gardening like square foot or not. If you are, you don't need to rotate, just replace the soil and dispose of old plant material. If you are worried about diseases aka tomatoes, plant them in separate containers. Look up the phrase "companion plant chart" for some good tips. Some plants do better together that really make a difference in small gardens. I only rotate plants related to tomatoes.

Hi Kris,
Yes, you should practice rotating crops, regardless of the size of your garden. You rotate to minimize insect damage and diseases from the soil. Basically, you do not plant vegetables from the same Botanical Family in the same space for at least three years. I practice a five year rotation, but the UMINN folks recommend three as a minimum.

For example, if you plant Potatoes, Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplants, which are in the Solanaceae Botanical Family, in the same row or area this year you should not plant any of those vegetables in the same row or area for at least three years. That goes for container gardens as well. This year in Container #1, you can plant a Tomato. Next year, you can plant almost anything else in that container soil EXCEPT another Tomato, Potato, Pepper, or Eggplant. And, by the way, Sweet Potatoes are not in the Solanaceae family. They are in the Morning Glory or Convolvulaceae family, so you could plant a Sweet Potato slip in "Container #1 if you wanted (or flowers, herbs, cucumbers, etc.).

I've had luck with Neem oil and Diatomaceou earth applications. But neem oil will burn some plants in sunlight and both will kill bees, so be careful. I use them instead of pesticides and the earth is dog safe.

Hi Karen,

JBs have already emerged in the metro area. I saw my first one on a Pea plant this past Sunday. They are here. They will be here for close to forever and keeping them in check will take a little work on your part.

First, Milky spore is not effective against the adults. It some minor effect on the grubs, which have been eating the roots of your grass last summer, fall, and in the spring.
Second, don't even think about using the yellow hanging traps--or any trap! The JB traps include a female pheromone, which is designed to attract male JBs. You will certainly trap the adults, but with a trap you are attracting many, many more JBs to your yard. So, I suggest not using them.

Sevin (carbaryl) is effective against many pests, including the adult Japanese Beetle. However, I would not recommend it because it kills ladybugs and other beneficial insects. It is highly toxic to bees and people--you, me. When you spray Sevin on a flower, the flower becomes toxic to bees and any insect that lands on it.

The best method, the safest method, is to use a bucket with some water and dish soap. JBs tend to drop to the ground when they sense a predator (you, me). Use a five-gallon bucket; place about 3" of water and dish detergent in the bucket and hold the bucket below the JBs, knock them into the bucket, they will die within 30 seconds. Guaranteed!

There are a lot of prairie grasses you could use, readily available at the lenders flower mart or home depot., You could also try some of the ground covers, or heavy gravel. Bull rushes while a bit invasive are also good, as they grow fast and take to rain gardens well.

I too have Charlie at my house. I've been digging it out. My neighbor used a borox solution, but it killed all of their lawn and they had to spend a month reseeding.

Jean;
The old railroad ties were drenched in creosote and can slowly leach into your soils. The longer the railroad ties were there, the greater the possibility of creosote leakage. If it was my garden, I would keep it in flowers and not plant vegetables because of the possible risk. You can do soil test and have the University of Minnesota test it. If you are to do this, I recommend 3 soil samples from differant parts of the garden.
Tim

Hi Margaret,

Here comes the bride! Creeping Charlie (CC) is an accepted ground cover in England, but not so much here. If you like your lawn nice and pretty, with no weeds, then CC is not for you. However, it is one of the earliest flowering plants in the spring and, as such, is very beneficial to bees and other insects. And it is one of the few plants that will survive (thrive) in full sun and deep shade so if you have a patch of soil where nothing seems to grow, CC is your pal.

That said and you have decided that CC is not for you, you can purchase chemicals such as Weed-B-Gon that will kill CC. However, make certain you see CC on the front of the label. Regular Weed-B-Gon will not kill CC. Read the directions for any chemical you decide to use. Some are designed to kill only broad-leafed plants, while others will kill anything it touches. Never apply chemicals when it is breezy or windy. You will destroy half the neighborhood.

Asian Beetles: they were not a big problem last year, at least we as master gardeners did not get many calls about them. A few years ago there was a heavy infestation, with complaints that the beetles were biting folks. Not a big deal, but a major nusiance. Last year it was JBs galore and into the fall-winter there were a lot of Box Elder bugs--those cute orange and black bugs that clung to the south side of your house and eventually found their way inside.

If you are in an urgent situation that needs dealing with asap; get gravel or rocks, some sort of stakes, landscaping tarps or fabric, and straw/hay. Line the wash out --horizontally with the tarps/fabric and plastic poles or wood stakes, you can use string or zip ties or wire to attach the fabric to the wood or plastic. So basically your creating an L shaped barrier. part flush with the ground and part sticking above it like a fence. Use the rock to on the lower L part on the ground to weigh the fabric down and use the straw/hay to absorb mud, dust. Then once it stops raining you can plant. You can try many of the shade low light ground covers, but be prepared, they are often vine like and can be quite invasive. Another option is to just use heavy gravel or rock. As far as exposed roots, it depends on what type of trees they are. Some trees normally have exposed intertwining roots and form a symbiotic relationship with other near by trees. Killing one may kill the other. Depending on the bark and thickness of the roots, being exposed will not bother them. It's the fine hair like little roots that absorb water. It's better to control errotion. It should be fine to add planting around the bigger exposed roots if you bring in soil. In that case low light is more of a factor than root damage. Also plants that close to the roots compete for water. So then your back to figuring out ground cover.

It's very hard to get rid of as the seeds last a really long time. Manual destruction, pulling, digging, it all out is best. Any viable roots will sucker and resprout. And poisons while if mass applied in multiple applications would work, it will kill everything. Even fire does not get rid of it. Many cities will help you. Minneapolis I believe does, I think they will grind the stumps. It's better to pull it up and spread a black tarp over the area for a year or so. That's what the DNR recommends. Cover the stump with the plastic and the root area. http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/invasives/fact/buckthorn_com.htm

Most perennials, and quart plantings will not spread too much the first year. If you have 6 or more hours of sun they should perform much better next year. It also doesn't help that we've had so much rain. I think all the gardens are behaving a bit oddly right now. I also planted shastas this year, but from seed. Mine are only seedlings so far, so I am not sure how they will look yet. I like to intermix my perennials with annuals to fill in the area. A lot of stores have annuals for 50% off right now. Otherwise I feel you could also plant some seeds, that way you would have a fuller bed next year. It can be extra work to do that as far as weeding goes, if that's the case mulch might be a better option.

I can't think of much that will tolerate that much nitrogen. It might be better to use repellents around the bushes or temporary fencing until he gets trained not to use that area to relieve himself. ie. tight netting. I find repellents are a hassle due to variances in breeding and the rain. Some plants that tolerate salt like juniper, rugosa rose, or certain grasses might work. Or even plants with thorns. Others say running out there with the hose to dilute the area can help. And I've also read that mixing ammonia and dish soap can be a homemade deterrent as well as garlic/ pepper mixes. I don't know about you, but I am not chasing after my dog with hose. You could try this book as well http://amzn.com/1929242077

If you create an area of pea gravel in your yard, you can train the dog to urinate there. Use a lot of positive reinforcement when training.

The only sure way to deal with deer is deer fencing. Expensive. Otherwise there are deer resistant options for plants. You might want to get together with your neighbors to see if a shared fenced in garden is an option. There are repellents which have fairly good success, but with the MN rain, in the long run can be expensive and time consuming.

An inexpensive way to keep away deer is to buy a large 12 oz. bottle of the cheapest hot sauce. Pour the bottle in a gallon of water and stir it. The next day stir and you can use the new hot sauce. Use a cheap foam brush and dip the brush in the new solution and spatter your plants. Once your foliage dries it will leave a hot residue that the deer and rabbits hate. You need to apply to the foliage everytime it rains. You can mix smaller amounts, (1/2 bottle hot sauce to 1/2 gallon of water.)

Those are nasty little bugs. I've had mixed success in dealing with them. They do tend to come back as they can survive in the soils. I've used soap sprays, neem oil, and poison. I find a mixed approach works best over 2 week quarantine. Before I bring any plant inside I spray it down inside a big plastic bag, tie it up, and leave in there all night and then haul it to the basement away from any other house plants. There are some 3 in 1 spray products out there under different brands, including organic ones. I will also on occasion completely replace all the soil and spray the roots. As it's easy to get an fungus gnat infestation as well. I leave the plant in basement quarantine for several weeks until I am sure there are no bugs. If the problem is not resolved I pitch the plant.

I wouldn't, only because the chemicals RR's and utilities use to treat that sort of timber is highly carcinogenic. Even after that long, I wouldn't trust it on my kids. It's OK for flowers and edging though.

Thanks Margaret. No worries. I am either out in the yard or in front of a computer doing research (academia). I took today off to add brick walkways to my vegi garden (slowly). Weeds are OK for "hot" composters. The kind that either turn or get hand mixed on a regular basis. Any seeds will be killed. Only put weeds in cold (non turned) compost piles if there are no seeds. I have both kinds. 2 for leaves, and 2 that tumble. The membership superstores here sell the tumbling kinds for under 200 I believe. Otherwise you can often find great deals online. I use grass clippings for mulch.

My parents carefully dug up some Creeping Charlie in Ohio and imported it to our backyard in Minnesota in the 1970s. Later, they realized what they'd done.

Kris, your friend is worse than the English so! Let's blame the English for Creeping Charlie. That sounds good to me. It can really choke out plants and flowers and when it is throughout the lawn, it's difficult to pull out. Now of course there are worse things out there, of course, like... if you began to like and talk like an Englishman.

And, Chris Steller just threw his poor parents under the bus. Those English and those Ohio..ions!!!
Chris, I'm cleaning the beaches in Puerto Rico for episodes of that dating game (can't remember the name of it. The Bachelor or something like that) and then, have to come home to rid us of Creeping Charlie in MN. "Tis duty, I suppose.

Oh, we don't mind at all. They are quite the gardening team!