Longfellow Garden Club

05/27/2026

THIS SATURDAY !

The Longfellow Garden Club is holding a “Garden Sale” fundraiser to fund the speakers we host at our monthly meetings.

At this event, you can get (and donate!) garden-related items, such as:
· Seedlings and cuttings *** see next paragraph ***
· Garden tools and garden supplies
· Unused remainders of viable seed packets
· Early harvests from your vegetable and fruit gardens, such as rhubarb, asparagus, spring onions, or other early spring vegetables (bagged for easy handling)
· Decorative plant containers
· Yard art or bird feeders
· Gardening books (only if it's not raining that day!)

Due to concerns about the spread of jumping worms, we will only accept plants from the general public that are grown from seeds or from cuttings and potted in sterile soil. We will not accept plants that are dug up from gardens and repotted. We also won’t accept any general household items nor food items.

The event will be held across the street from the Longfellow Park tennis courts, on the corner of E 34th Street & 38th Avenue So., Minneapolis, 55406

The “sale” starts at 9:30 am on May 30. If you have items to donate, please drop them off at the site after 8:45 and if possible before 9:15 to allow set-up time. Thank you for contributing.

Items will not be priced, but a donation is requested for any item you take. This is a fundraiser! We accept cash, check, or Venmo.

The event is open to the public. Membership in the Longfellow Garden Club costs $7 per year, and you can enroll at the Garden Sale. Benefits of membership include a 10% discount on plants at Mother Earth Gardens, a discount on membership at the Minnesota State Horticultural Society (MSHS) and the Northern Gardener Magazine of MSHS.... plus the delights of learning from and with the wonderful gardeners of our area.
We hope to see you there!
-- Longfellow Garden Club

The schedule and meeting highlights are on the web at
tinyurl.com/LGCminnesota

Memberships $7/year. Email to renew or obtain a membership:
[email protected]

Longfellow Garden Club Minneapolis, Minnesota

05/15/2026

Let's plant smarter!

Callery Pear may look pretty, but it causes real problems in our landscapes. Serviceberry gives you spring flowers, edible fruit, fall color, and valuable support for birds and pollinators without the drawbacks.

Want to learn more about serviceberries? Check out the Yard and Garden webpage: https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/serviceberries


Iowa State University Department of Horticulture

05/15/2026

Join Wisconsin Horticulture Extension for free online gardening programs — and watch from any device! Our topics are suitable for gardeners of any skill level.

05/15/2026

Good to know that birds love them

05/15/2026

05/13/2026

Minnesota is for the birds 🐦✨

Tonight, 364 million birds are predicted to take flight, with a high concentration of birds flying over Minnesota, according to the bird migration forecast powered by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Look to the skies for species such as the rose-breasted grosbeak, least flycatcher or common yellowthroat during daylight hours, and make sure to turn off non-essential lights at night (11 pm-6 am)!

Have you been enjoying spring migration season? Let us know which birds you've observed in the comments below!

05/13/2026

The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee is one of North America’s most endangered bumble bees, so every sighting matters, especially a queen.

This queen was recently spotted in rural Linn County, Iowa, searching for a nest site under logs and leaf litter in an upland forest. Once established, her colony will produce workers later this summer. Interestingly, queens do not have the signature “rusty patch” seen on workers and males.

Rusty-patched bumble bees have also been reported this year in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, the Twin Cities, and southeastern Minnesota. You can explore sightings through iNaturalist and Bumble Bee Watch.

Learn more about the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee: beelab.umn.edu/rusty-patched-bumble-bee

Photo credit: Sami Dolan

05/13/2026

It’s fall catalog planning season! New samples are coming in every day, and we just can’t decide between these two fjord horse cuties from our friend (and extraordinary rosemaler) Rosann Jorde - which one do you like best? Weigh in!

05/02/2026

The Zoom link is sent via email, if you aren’t on the mailing list, please contact the club.

Longfellow Garden Club presents: Urban Foraging
Presented by Tim Clemens, Ironwood Foraging Co
May 13 (Wed) 7:00 pm, via Zoom

Join Tim Clemens of Ironwood Foraging Co. and learn about Urban Foraging. Learn how to identify and collect wild edibles that grow in city parks, along streets, in your yard or on private property with permission. Yes, there are weeds that are nutritious and delicious. Foraging can provide free fresh food, and motivate you to learn about the natural environment and local flora. Tim will teach us how to find and identify edible and medicinal plants, harvest safely and legally, and some tips on building community! We may also discuss gleaning, which is gathering unharvested food.

Note: Mushrooms will not be covered in this talk, as they are too big a topic to include.

Tim Clemens is a professional foraging instructor from Minneapolis. He is the Consulting Mycologist for the Minnesota Regional Poison Center. He holds a BA in Anthropology from UMN and Certificates in Nature Education from Cornell. Tim founded Ironwood Foraging Co. in 2017 to create profound connections between people, plants, and mushrooms.

Social Time
You are invited to remain after the presentation for visiting and gardening questions. The Zoom connection will remain open for half an hour of socializing and informal talk about gardening.

Heads Up for fans of Longfellow Garden Club
It’s time to prepare for the LGC Plant Sale on May 30. This is our annual fundraiser that keeps membership fees low and helps pay for our wonderful presenters. As you begin the gardening season, please collect things you don’t need that other gardeners might value: tools, supplies, the remainder of viable seed packets, yard art, gardening books. Then bring them to the sale, and do some shopping yourselves!

04/08/2026

Longfellow Garden Club presents: Vegetable Gardening 101
Presented by Laura Irish-Hanson, U of MN Extension horticulturist
April 8 (Wed) 7:00 pm, via Zoom

Email the club if you aren’t on the mailing list for the link.
Before noon on Wednesday

Curious to start growing your own vegetables but not sure where to start, or wanting to increase yields? Join University of Minnesota Extension horticulturist, Laura Irish-Hanson, as she provides guidance on successfully growing vegetables in South Minneapolis, including information on soil, watering, plant selection, tools, and more. She’ll talk about container and in-ground growing techniques, common mistakes to avoid, and vegetables that are easy to grow as well as more challenging ones.

All are welcome: garden-curious, beginner, and experienced gardeners!

Laura Irish-Hanson is the statewide Extension Educator for Resilient Managed Horticultural Landscapes at the University of Minnesota. Her focus areas are climate adaptation and gardening, lowering expenses through efficient nutrients and maintenance, underutilized native and resilient plants, and ecosystem support. Laura regularly appears on the WCCO Radio Smart Gardens show from 8-9AM on Saturday, dial in to AM 830 or listen on your favorite podcast app. Prior to joining UMN Extension in 2024, Laura had over 9 years of experience in traditional horticulture-focused classroom and laboratory teaching in Iowa. Last year she finished building a small, unheated greenhouse in her backyard, which she uses to grow food year-round.

Heads Up for fans of Longfellow Garden Club
There is still time to grow seedlings or root cuttings for the LGC Plant Sale on May 30. This is our annual fundraiser that keeps membership fees low. Please use your green thumbs to help pay for our wonderful presenters. We ask that you use sterile commercial potting soil and sterile pots. No transplants, please. See link below for advice on when and how to start seeds.
https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/time-start-seeds

Social Time
You are invited to remain after the presentation for visiting and gardening questions. The Zoom connection will remain open for half an hour of socializing and informal talk about gardening.

It’s already time to plant vegetables like onions, leeks, and celery, as well as a variety of flowers.