New & Underused Perennials

Julie Schroer & Jodie Ramsay

Jean's the Right Plant Place

Every year there is a buzz around new perennial varieties. Join us for a sneak peek of some of the new varieties Jean's will carry in 2023, as well as several older varieties that we think are vastly underused.  

Julie Schroer and Jodie Ramsay own Jean's - The Right Plant Place in Perham, MN. Jean's specializes in perennials for northern gardens, carrying over 1200 varieties each year. In the non-gardening season, Jodie teaches Biology and manages the greenhouses at Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD.  After teaching college Biology for 23 years, Julie quit in 2021 to focus on Jean's and other projects full-time.

Jean's - The Right Plant Place specializes in perennials for northern gardens.  We carry more than 1200 different varieties each year, including more than 100 daylilies and 200 hostas!  We also carry shrubs, hanging baskets, and bedding plants. We're located in Perham, and we're worth the drive! 

Square Foot Vegetable Gardening

Jamie Stang

Hennepin County Master Gardener

Learn how to maximize the space in your vegetable garden and still grow many varieties. This class will cover the basic steps to planning, creating, and maintaining your square foot garden. 

Jamie Stang has been a Master Gardener for the past 9 years and serves as the Adult Education Chair for Hennepin County Master Gardening. While she enjoys all types of gardening, she is especially passionate about fruit and vegetable gardening. Jamie completed the Master Gardening Food Preservation course and enjoys being able to provide a full complement of education around produce, from starting seeds to preserving the harvest. She is also involved in creating sustainable habitats for pollinators, birds, waterfowl and wildlife.

When she is not gardening, Dr Stang is a Professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, where she serves as the Chair of the Public Health Nutrition Graduate Program. Gardening is often incorporated into her research and teaching in food systems and nutrition. 

Morel Mushrooms

Matt Stahlmann-Mosher

Matt's Mushrooms and More

Learn to identify morel mushrooms and the habitat they grow. We will also touch on the other spring mushrooms and edibles, as well as some preservation methods.

Matt Stahlmann-Mosher has been foraging for +15 years and has been certified for just over 5 years to forage and sell wild mushrooms. Matt has a strong focus on making the wild his grocery store. Matt spends his time preserving any and as much wild food he can, from wild mushrooms and berries in the summer, to wild game in the fall. Matt spends a lot of time educating and helping others get into a multitude of wild foods; from syrup in the early spring, to wild rice harvesting come late summer.

Tree Insects and Diseases - Oh My!

Gary Wyatt 

Agroforestry Extension Educator

Minnesota Extension Mankato

Learn about current and future insects and diseases that affect our tree landscapes in Minnesota. Can we prevent some of these tree pest problems by planting different trees?

Become familiar with UM resources that you can use to help identify insect and disease issues. Topics include, UM Diagnostic tool, Plant Disease Clinic, needle cast, EAB, SWD, BMSB and other pest acronyms. Come willing to share your tree pest successes and challenges.

Gary Wyatt is an Agroforestry Extension Educator and Extension Professor with the University of Minnesota Extension in the Extension Regional Office in Mankato, MN.  Gary promotes sustainable Agroforestry practices that are economical and protect our soil, water, wildlife, and natural resources. Gary has more than 39 years of Extension experience in Minnesota.  

New & Underused Perennials

Julie Schroer & Jodie Ramsay

Jean's the Right Plant Place

Every year there is a buzz around new perennial varieties. Join us for a sneak peek of some of the new varieties Jean's will carry in 2023, as well as several older varieties that we think are vastly underused.  

Julie Schroer and Jodie Ramsay own Jean's - The Right Plant Place in Perham, MN. Jean's specializes in perennials for northern gardens, carrying over 1200 varieties each year. In the non-gardening season, Jodie teaches Biology and manages the greenhouses at Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD.  After teaching college Biology for 23 years, Julie quit in 2021 to focus on Jean's and other projects full-time.

Jean's - The Right Plant Place specializes in perennials for northern gardens.  We carry more than 1200 different varieties each year, including more than 100 daylilies and 200 hostas!  We also carry shrubs, hanging baskets, and bedding plants. We're located in Perham, and we're worth the drive! 

Selecting Your Varieties for the Vegetable Garden

Christina Waters

Hennepin County Master Gardener

Ready to be more deliberate in the variety of choices you make for your vegetable garden but are overloaded by all the technical information? From sourcing to seed saving, we’ll break down the process of choosing the most appropriate varieties to make your vegetable garden lush and plentiful.

Christina Waters has been a Hennepin County Master Gardener since 2020.  Her NE Minneapolis lot is a combination of pocket native plant spaces, vegetable garden and dog play area (aka: mud).  She's had many types of vegetable gardens throughout her life and only last year finally succeeded in growing brussels sprouts!  This year she's excited to try out growing shelling beans and banana peppers.

Growing Great Garlic in Home Gardens

Jerry Ford 

Director of the Minnesota Premium Garlic Project and the Minnesota Garlic Festival

What you need to know to get started in garlic growing or improve what you're already doing. We'll cover everything from selecting good seed stock, soil preparation planting, harvesting, curing and storage.

Jerry Ford is the director of the Minnesota Premium Garlic Project and the Minnesota Garlic Festival. He has been growing and selling garlic from Living Song Farm near Howard Lake since 2003.

Trees and Shrubs to plant for a Changing Climate 

Gary Wyatt 

Agroforestry Extension Educator

Minnesota Extension Mankato

Extreme weather events such as droughts and even floods are becoming more frequent and more severe, adding stress to our perennial vegetation. Tree, forest, and climate experts have been creating models that help us predict what species of trees and shrubs will survive 50 and 100 years from now. Learn about climate resources and what tree and shrub species look favorable for Minnesota in the future.

Gary Wyatt is an Agroforestry Extension Educator and Extension Professor with the University of Minnesota Extension in the Extension Regional Office in Mankato, MN.  Gary promotes sustainable Agroforestry practices that are economical and protect our soil, water, wildlife, and natural resources. Gary has more than 39 years of Extension experience in Minnesota.  

Drought-tolerant Perennials

Julie Schroer & Jodie Ramsay

Jean's the Right Plant Place

If the past couple of summers taught us anything, it's that drought-tolerant plants are a must in northern gardens. In this presentation, we will provide examples of both sun and shade perennials that love the heat and can tolerate dry soil. 

Julie Schroer and Jodie Ramsay own Jean's - The Right Plant Place in Perham, MN. Jean's specializes in perennials for northern gardens, carrying over 1200 varieties each year. In the non-gardening season, Jodie teaches Biology and manages the greenhouses at Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD.  After teaching college Biology for 23 years, Julie quit in 2021 to focus on Jean's and other projects full-time.

Jean's - The Right Plant Place specializes in perennials for northern gardens.  We carry more than 1200 different varieties each year, including more than 100 daylilies and 200 hostas!  We also carry shrubs, hanging baskets, and bedding plants. We're located in Perham, and we're worth the drive! 

Vegetable Container Gardening

Gavin Watt

Hennepin County Master Gardener

Whether you are challenged by lack of garden space or want vegetables within easy reach, most food plants can be grown in containers as easily as decorative plants. Learn about the benefits and best practices of growing vegetables and other food plants in containers instead of planting them in the ground.

Gavin Watt is a lifelong gardener – as a kid sold vegetables from our family garden in Nebraska; weeded, harvested, picked potato beetles for my grandmother in Missouri. Have established a home garden in every house we’ve lived in since 1972. UMN Extension Master Gardener since 2015, specialties include Herbs, Compost, Containers. 

Preserving the Harvest

Jane O'Shea

Wright County Master Gardener

Preserving The Harvest is a talk to discuss the many ways to preserve the bounty of our gardens so we can enjoy the abundance long after the garden is buried in snow. Some concepts we will cover are cellaring, freezing, pickling, making jams, and dehydrating.

Jane O’Shea was born in Minnesota to a mother who taught her the love of growing things. She has gardened for three decades on three different continents. Jane grows the majority of her food and is presenting at Spring Days teaching the art of preserving the harvest. 

Food Forests in your Community or Backyard (Edible Landscapes)

Gary Wyatt 

Agroforestry Extension Educator

Minnesota Extension Mankato

Families are interested in growing their own food in the garden and planting perennials that produce fruits and nuts in their backyard. There is also a growing interest in planting community food forests and gardens in communities that are underserved and are food deserts. This session will encourage open dialogue in discussing plant designs for these perennial edibles for the backyard or community landscapes. Examples of planting designs will also be shared. Perennial edibles to be discussed include, Hazelnuts, Aronia Berry – Black Chokeberry, Juneberry, Elderberry, Honeyberry and Cranberry to mention a few.  

Gary Wyatt is an Agroforestry Extension Educator and Extension Professor with the University of Minnesota Extension in the Extension Regional Office in Mankato, MN.  Gary promotes sustainable Agroforestry practices that are economical and protect our soil, water, wildlife, and natural resources. Gary has more than 39 years of Extension experience in Minnesota.