When flowers sleep, evergreens take the spotlight By Diana Pierce, Dec. 3, 2025 Andrew Monson and Diana. Photo: Bachman’s staff. This time of year, my garden storytelling shifts from petals to pines. They’re wide awake and ready for their moment. Whether you’re browsing premium trees at your favorite garden center while it’s snowing or venturing into a National Forest with a $5 permit and a saw, finding the perfect Christmas tree is its own kind of bloom—one that fills your h

(You'll Want Everything!) by Diana Pierce, November 26, 2025 Diana standing in Bachman’s Greenhouse with Red Poinsettias. Photo: Bachman’s This photo of me taking pictures of the season’s #1 blooms captures what I love doing best. But my holiday gift guide was inspired by something even better: meeting the Schafer, Peterson, Adamietz and Sund friend group from Savage at this year’s Gertens Poinsettia tour. Schafer, Peterson, Adamietz and Sund friends. Photo: Michael Helmke Th

-A Pet Parent's Holiday Plant Guide- By Diana Pierce, November 19, 2025. Megan the cat looking directly at holiday greenery. Photo: John Plut. The holidays are officially here, and with Thanksgiving just a week away, our homes are about to get a whole lot more festive—and a whole lot more tempting for curious pets. From the poinsettia on your dining table to the amaryllis your neighbor brings as a host gift, this is prime time for our four-legged family members to investigate

Floral ideas for your Thanksgiving table By Diana Pierce, November 5th, 2025 Photo: Diana Pierce Now that November is here, I don’t know about you, but I’ve started thinking about our upcoming holiday season. Looking online, I’m seeing recipe after recipe on what to serve our friends and family on Turkey Day—green bean casserole, stuffing variations, the perfect roasted turkey. But what about the blooms we might like to have on our tables or sideboards? Just like you’d follow

Minnesota Blooms From Altar to Winter by Diana Pierce, Oct. 29, 2025 From golden marigolds honoring ancestors to the first spruce pots of the season — discover how our gardens, traditions, and communities keep blooming forward, even as the year grows quiet. Monica Vega with her Ofrenda (altar) at the Minneapolis Farmers Market. Photo: Diana Pierce Honoring Those We’ve Loved Community Ofrenda at the Weisman - Día de los Muertos Wednesday, October 29 | 5–8 p.m. University of M

Where nature's beauty takes a spooky turn By Diana Pierce, Oct. 22, 2025 Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscuipula) . Photo: Diana Pierce Welcome to the Dark Side of the Garden This Halloween, I'm looking past the pumpkins to the blooms that bite back. Some lure their prey with sweetness. Others defend themselves with poison or perfume. And a few — like the ones we've seen in pop culture — have become icons of nature's darker side. If you've ever wondered what Wednesday Addams, or Pr

A Second Bloom for Veterans By Diana Pierce, Oct. 15, 2025 Mourners honoring a loved one. Photo: Ivan Samkov, Pexels. With Veterans Day approaching on November 11th, many of us will honor those who served — perhaps by thanking a veteran in person, sharing their story, or visiting a cemetery to remember those we’ve lost. While Memorial Day in spring is traditionally the time for decorating veterans’ graves with flowers, the gesture carries meaning any time of year. Those bloom

Meet the couple behind fall's most diverse pumpkin display by Diana Pierce, Oct. 8, 2025 The Arboretum’s Pumpkin Tree on Dahlberg Terrace...

From your porch to the ends of the earth by Diana Pierce October 1st, 2025 Fall finally feels like it’s arriving here in Minnesota, even...

This Year's Surprising Prairie Seed Harvest September 24, 2025- by Diana Pierce Wild lupine created false hope for seed collectors who...

By Diana Pierce Fresh Cuttings- September 17, 2025 As autumn begins to peek through, there’s still plenty of bloom color waiting to be...

Following Arnie Sachs on his journey to the Nationals by Diana Pierce, Sept. 10th, 2025 Arnie Sachs, who is 6 feet tall, standing next to...

Why We Bring Flowers By Diana Pierce September 3, 2025 Photo : Diana Pierce A week ago, tragedy struck our Twin Cities community. The...

Inside Minnesota’s Backyard of World Records Aug. 27, 2025- By Diana Pierce Photo Courtesy: Half Moon Bay's Safeway World Championship...

An Indiana gardener grew a sunflower so tall it could peek over the treetops! At 30 feet, 7 inches, this bloom just set a new Guinness World Record.

A year in the life of Bloom With Me Diana Pierce, Aug. 13, 2025 Photos : Diana Pierce Imagine a single seed, pressed into the soil with...

Welcome back to Fresh Cuttings—a petite bouquet of stories, snapshots, and seasonal wonders from my garden walks (and beyond). Here’s...

Elizabeth Ries checking her herb and vegetable raised beds. Photo: Diana Pierce In Elizabeth Ries’s Minneapolis backyard, you’ll find...

This Week's Garden Escapes Minnesota Native Water Lily, Photo: Diana Pierce Dive Into Tranquility: Water Garden Tour This Weekend ​ The...

Last summer, while visiting the Munsinger Clemens Gardens in St. Cloud, I was captivated by a whimsical area designed with children in...