Garden

All Garden Content

A variety of common melon types lined up on a black background.

Melons, Melons, Melons!

Cantaloupe and honeydew are familiar to most of us, but there are a wide variety of other melons available to gardeners.

Green plant leaf with several small, black beetles on it.

Dealing With Flea Beetles

Flea beetles are a common pest in South Dakota vegetable gardens.

spotted wing fruit fly male

Spotted Wing Fruit Fly Damaging Fruit Crops

The spotted wing fruit fly is a new pest problem that originated in Asia and was only first identified here in the United States in California in 2008. It was first seen in South Dakota in 2013.

Flock of mosquitoes in front of sunset.

West Nile in South Dakota: Expect Cases Into Early Fall

While it’s true that in South Dakota most West Nile Virus cases occur during August, new human infections are detected well into September in most years.

A shrub with blooming yellow flowers on its branches.

Spring Flowering Shrubs

Early spring flowering shrubs have a special place in our landscapes as they are the heralds of the warm weather yet to come.

A Red Colummbine branch with several, bell-shaped pink flowers hanging from the end.

Wild Columbine

Red columbine, Aquilegia canadensis, is this week’s native perennial to know. Also known as wild columbine, this plant has striking red flowers that droop from the ends of tall stalks.

A bushy green plant with pink flowers throughout.

Phlox

This week’s native perennials are both phloxes: Phlox divaricata (Wild Blue Phlox, or Sweet William) and Phlox pilosa (Downy or Prairie Phlox)

Penstemon digitalis plant.

Penstemon

Penstemon grandiflorus and Penstemon augustfolius are both native to South Dakota.

A purple flower blooming.

Viola pedatifida

An early blooming native perennial, Viola pedatifida – commonly known as prairie or larkspur violet, is a low-profile addition to your garden.

vegetables growing in three plastic tubs

Growing Vegetables in Tubs

You can grow lots of vegetables in plastic container gardens. The important things to remember are using a good growing medium and keeping enough water on the plants as they get larger.