This is your garden spot
So get comfy
Everyone thinks they garden in the most difficult place in the world—I think I garden in one of the best places in the world.
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The problem is the lack of info about gardening in cold, dry, northern climates.
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My name is Michelle,
And when I started gardening, I didn't understand why all the information I could find on knowledgeable YouTube channels and in great publications like Fine Gardening never had any plant picks or advice that worked for me. Or why "part sun" plants burnt in part shade or why I couldn't grow a box hedge. Or why everyone told me alliums and tulips are hard to grow, even though my mom has a tulip that's been blooming for as long as I can remember.
​Eventually I realized the problem was that I was getting my information from England, Northern California, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Michigan. Most of these places are relatively warm and all of them are wet! (By our standards) ​
I started The Garden Spot for us gardeners who need information that is specific to our little niche in the gardening world. Often, we garden in the most adventurous of places, like plains, foothills, mountains, prairies, and high deserts.
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I hope you'll find some plants and advice here that is as unique as your garden.
Get to know your garden through mine
​Our most recognizable sister climate is Denver, Colorado. But just because our climates aren't identical doesn't mean we can't learn from each other. And in fact, I've created many microclimates that do tap into the extremes. I have an alpine garden, cacti and succulent garden, arid garden, and an unfortunate section of pure clay in shade.
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I promise to do my best to explain which climates I suspect my plant picks will grow well.
On Climate
I garden in a small suburban lot in USDA Zone 5b in heavy soil at 3,500 feet in the foothills of the mountainous region of the Black Hills and Bearlodge mountains. Summer is hot, spring is as short and unpredictable as fall, and winter varies from extremely dry and brutally cold to cold and snowy.
Our last frost date is around May 15, but in 2022 it was May 25 and in 2023 it was April 17. As I'm sure you can relate, the only thing we land-locked northern gardeners know for sure is that we don't know what's coming next.
We have a very high UV index relative to our longitude and July-August the highs are in the 90s with little moisture. We average about 22 inches of rain per year, with about half of our rainfall pouring down in May and June.
I think you'll find (maybe to your annoyance) that I garden in mild versions of extremes. Here's what I mean: My soil is mostly silt, which is heavy but lighter than clay. It's somewhat high at 3,500 ft, but it's not really high-altitude. It's somewhat dry, but at 22 inches a year, definitely no desert. It gets as cold as -25F, but this isn't Zone 3 cold! If you grow in a climate more extreme than mine, take my plant recommendations with a grain of salt.
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On Water
Like my garden, my philosophy to gardening is full of contradictions and surprises, and changes on the reg.
But there are a few things that have remained constant. One is that we should use water as the finite resource it is.
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I keep track of how much water I use. Most of my front garden is almost entirely dependent on the weather for moisture, except for newly planted trees and shrubs which I hand-water once or twice a week.
The majority of my garden is laid with a drip system linked to a smart controller that tracks local weather data so that I can manage water remotely while I'm gone.
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That said, I do have sections of garden where I grow those special plants that need more water. These include vegetables, containers, a few species of conifer, dahlias, cannas, maples, heuchera, and other delightful little water-suckers.
I think it's important to never be reckless with water. But I also believe in growing what you like. I don't want to be dogmatic about anything: as long as we're responsible hosts of our own little ecosystems then I think we're doin' alright.
I won't ever define what responsibility looks like for you.
On Organics
I'm a science-based gardener. Or at least, I try to be.
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What does that mean? Basically, I do whatever science and experience tells me is the best choice for my ecosystem (then my wallet). This means that about 99% of the time, I garden organically.
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A lot of gardeners wear an organic badge of honor. I respect it--that badge is hard-won.
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However, there are instances when I don't believe the organic approach makes much sense. Fertilizers, organic and non-organic alike, are the same chemicals. One is just less potent and costs way more. If you like organic fertilizer, that's great! I rarely fertilize, but when I do, regular ol' Miracle Gro works just fine for my seedlings.
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I hand-weed just about everything, but there are two exceptions: bindweed and creeping bellflower. I tried controlling them organically for 5 years. This year, I'm employing the responsible use of herbicides.
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One of the great things about gardening in Z5 is we don't deal with the kinds of pests they do in the south. I mostly hand-pick pests off plants, although to be honest, I don't get many. At least not enough to care. Sometimes I'll use insecticidal soap (water and Dawn) or organic neem oil if the problem is out of hand. If my fruit trees ever have serious fungal issues, I'll likely use a fungicide.