Prairie Yard & Garden

The premiere of the 31st season of Prairie Yard & Garden features the eclectic gardens of Marilyn and Donovan Folden of Pelican Rapids.

Mary Holm travels to Dent to visit with Jo Meyer, owner of Meadows of Minnesota, who gathers flowers, grasses, twigs and weeds to create beautiful wreaths and arrangements. Anything from the wild is fair game for this creative and talented artist.

Many successful people can trace their achievements back to a favorite teacher who really challenged or inspired them. Mary Holm travels to the New London-Spicer high school to meet Laura Molenaar who is just that kind of teacher. Laura applied for grants and obtained the help of many people to build an outdoor classroom which is now used by students year round.

Anyone who enjoys uncommon gardening practices is going to love this episode. Prairie Yard & Garden's Mary Holm visits with Ken Hovet of Long Prairie who grows his garden in buckets. The buckets provide a style of gardening designed to eliminate sore knees and aching backs. His setup is pure genius and so easy that anyone can copy it.

Mary Holm travels to Granite Falls to visit with Steve Snortum and Chris Howard. Snortum does landscape design and installation as the owner of Snortum’s Nurseries and Howard was the project manager, who oversaw the landscape project at Pioneer Public Television's new studio in Granite Falls.

It seems like the weather is often too wet or too dry, making growing plants a real challenge. Mary Holm has a fun visit with Mary Meyer at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum to find out what the term “xeriscaping” means and to get some great recommendations for plants that can survive and thrive under the less-than-ideal conditions mother nature can throw at us.

Jeff Cihak works with antique decor and shade-loving plants to turn his beautiful property a heritage farm showcase. And a few miles down the road, in the flat, former glacial Lake Agassiz lakebed land of the Red River Valley, his sister Jill Rodgers’ sun-filled farm supports a different mix of flowers, but she shares her brother’s love for beautifying her farmstead.

PY&G host Mary Holm visits with the husband and wife team as the Jerome and Diane Winter plant and care for dahlias and many other flowers used for cutting and arrangements. Jerome does much of the flower care and Diane is a very talented floral designer. Together, they brighten the days of many people and organizations in the region.

The popularity of succulents has been surging due to their beauty and versatility: They thrive in dish gardens, fairy gardens and many other arrangements. Mary Holm travels to Kelly’s Cottage Garden near Park Rapids where owner Kelly Kyllenon is a master of making beautiful succulent arrangements. This episode will shine light on why people travel from miles away to see and purchase her creations.

Host Mary Holm visits with Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Education Program Coordinator Ping Honzay to find out all about the new Tashjian Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center which serves as a hub for community outreach and education grounded in the world-renowned bee research of University of Minnesota Scientist Marla Spivak, Ph.D.

With well over 100 craft breweries in Minnesota, craft beers have become increasingly popular in recent years. There are even craft beer super fans who enjoy growing hops for their own home brews. PY&G Host Mary Holm talks with one of these super fans. Homebrewer John Miersch grows his own hops for his homemade frothy ales — a hobby learned from his father.