Spring is Here!

Don Engebretson, AKA “The Renegade Gardener,” has long had his green thumb on the pulse of the region, able to see the forest for both the trees and the shrubs. With the arrival of spring, we decided to ask our intrepid gardener for his forecast on landscaping trends. What’s in? What’s out? And how do you create the complete landscape?

Natural Stone Reigns
Many new home designs and landscape renovations are eschewing concrete in favor of natural wall stones, flagstones, boulder outcroppings, stone walkways, patios, and fire pits. The re-evaluation and appreciation of native stone is even spurring an increase in quarrying in the Iron Range, where “the iron deposits there give the decorative stones and boulders unique hues of rusty red and rich brown,” Engebretson says.

Bigger, Better Water Gardens
The water gardening craze has continued unabated, with homeowners installing waterfalls, streams, and ponds, and replacing existing ones with larger ponds, advanced filtration systems, and waterfalls with drops as high as six feet.

Plants Native to the Area
There’s no mistaking the strong interest in native shrubs and perennials. Small wonder. “They typically require less maintenance and watering,” Engebretson says, “and are hardier plants in cold weather.” Particularly popular are native Minnesota shrubs Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) and Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) and native perennials Sweet Joe-pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum) and Giant Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum Biflorum).

Creating the Complete Landscape
Instead of relying on lavish perennial gardens to make the dominant curbside statement, homeowners are using perennials more as accents, filling up a larger portion of their property with shrubs and small trees. These include many newer shrub varieties, University of Minnesota introductions, and dwarf conifers, including pine, spruce, and smaller hemlocks. These beautiful evergreens are compact, ranging from three to eighteen feet, making them ideal for foundation plantings. They also have terrific forms and colors—rich blues, greens, even golds—that can breathe life into the bleak five months of Minnesota winter.

“The goal of the complete landscape” Engebretson says, “is to level the house and anchor it to the ground with foundation plantings, even to seven or eight feet from the house.” A broad, staggered slope can center the house in a lovely swath of flora, from larger pyramidal trees down to small shrubs and perennials, creating a far more elegant presentation than the classic tutu of shrubs that has a way of making a house look like a Monopoly hotel, jutting up abruptly from the ground.