Lake Minnetonka Magazine 3/23

The Sweet History of Chocolate

While studying abroad in Venezuela, I, along with other students, would take overnight buses to the coast. It was there where I discovered cacao trees, which give us chocolate and is found growing as an understory tree.

Its fruit clings strangely to its trunk. One tree will have fruit pods of different colors, which contain sweet, white pulp wrapped around each bean. Its scientific name is Theobroma cacao, Greek for “food of God.”

Kakaw is the name of the tree in a variety of Mayan languages and was originally domesticated in the upper Amazon some 5,000 years ago. Mayan mythology says the cacao tree was a gift to the people from the Plumed Serpent God, Quetzalcoatl.

For thousands of years, it’s been used as a ritualist beverage, and the beans were even traded as currency. Ceremonies utilizing it are still practiced today, and participants can experience an overall sense of well-being, aided by the many mood boosting chemicals, such as serotonin and dopamine. The Mayo Clinic weighs in, noting that chocolate has “many health benefits, including a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes, preventing blood clots, improving memory, lowering cholesterol and even preventing some types of cancer.”

While it might not feel romantic, these are all great reasons to gift a box of chocolate this Valentine’s Day.

Alison Feik of Excelsior has a degree in landscape architecture and holds a wealth of knowledge about local plants and gardening. Grow more at beingstronginnature.com.

Lake Minnetonka Magazine 10/22

Get a handle on an invasive species and create beauty and biodiversity.

Is there really a gardening season? Any time of year is the right time to tend to gardening endeavors—whether it be planning, planting or pruning.

For those interested in addressing a particular troublesome interloper—buckthorn—now is the time to act. We asked Alison Feik, a professional gardener based out of Excelsior, for guidance.

“As Minnesotans, we love our forests and wild places … Our consistent rains, deep, rich topsoil and long days of sun create [an abundance of growth],” she says. “All this life has been in relative balance, functioning autonomously for thousands of years and is a pride of our region. Yet, like so many facets of modern life, human intervention and the advent of modern practices (such as transporting plants to one bioregion to another) has created a problem, which now requires a concerted effort to reverse. The balance that we have enjoyed in the past is now threatened by an aggressive, noxious, invasive species.” AKA: buckthorn. “[It’s] our number one problem plant affecting the local, natural ecosystems,” she says.

Feik says buckthorn is easy to identify, especially in the spring and fall. “It’s the first plant to produce leaves and last to lose them,” she says. It can be found among shrubs and trees and between adjacent properties that have been left wild for privacy or from lack of attention. “Sometimes, it’s even been planted as a hedge. This is because the species was originally sold at nurseries,” she says.

Did you know that buckthorn is more than a bush? “Many people are surprised to learn that the 20-foot understory tree with a thick gray trunk is not a desirable tree in their yard but rather a mature buckthorn,” Feik says. “The mature trees are the most damaging, as they produce huge amounts of berries, spreading seed throughout their property and neighboring communities.” If you need another reason to rid your property of buckthorn, consider this: The berries act as a laxative for birds and mice, making it easier to disseminate the seeds.

Buckthorn is also a sunlight hog, as it were. Feik says, “They block the sun from the saplings and herbaceous plants we desire, hogging the light and moisture they need to thrive. When buckthorn grows, it creates thick stands that are practically impossible to pass through. Native plants can’t compete, thereby reducing the habitat and food sources animals relay on, as well.”

What is the solution? “We need to eliminate the buckthorn on private property, as well as municipalities, removing it from our parks,” Feik says. “Removing these plants now will make it exponentially easier to protect those ecosystems than if we ignore it and address it in the future.”

Get at it with a saw and an herbicide, Feik recommends. After sawing down the trunk, sparingly use herbicide on the freshly-cut trunk to treat the stump, or cover the stump with a black plastic bag in lieu using the herbicide. “This will keep the plant from shooting up vigorous suckers, growing back from the ground, as the living root system isn’t killed through cutting down the plant alone,” she says. In some instances, the roots can be dug or pulled out of the ground.

Note: You might have to continue removing the saplings from the seed bank (Berries that have been dropped that can remain in the soil for several years before germinating.) for a year or two. “It does take time and effort, however, after your buckthorn is removed, you’ll find you have more of your property back. This gives you an opportunity to plant desirable species in place of the removed buckthorn, creating both beauty and biodiversity,” Feik says.

Visit lakeminnetonkamag.com to learn more about the importance of curb appeal.









Lake Minnetonka Magazine 09/22

Gardener shares strategies on how to divvy up your perennials this fall.


With fall in the air and winter creeping closer, the time is now to begin considering how to divide and conquer your perennials in preparation for spring. We turned to Lake Minnetonka native Alison Feik, owner of Being Strong in Nature, which offers soft-scaping garden services, to help brighten up our green thumbs.

Are all perennials good for dividing?
Many perennials don’t want or need to be divided. Shrubs or woody species typically aren’t divided. Many herbaceous plants, however, do benefit from periodic dividing or thinning. In some species, you’ll know the plant is ready for dividing if the center has begun to die back. A daylily or sedum, for example, may be growing in what looks like a ring. This is a good indication that the plant will benefit from having sections dug up and moved to new locations. Other plants, like iris or hosta, are often found growing too tightly together. This crowding can negatively affect both foliage and blooming and the overall appearance of the garden.

How does the plant benefit from dividing?
Dividing a plant stimulates new growth and more abundant blooms. It also eliminates the occurrence of a dead middle section.

When is it best to divide and replant?
The best time to divide is after the plant has finished blooming and before the bitter cold (because that’s no fun!). You never want to move a plant while it’s concentrating its energy on making flowers. Therefore, if you have a late-blooming species, such as asters or chrysanthemums, you want to divide them in the spring instead.

Is there anything special that needs to be done during replanting?
First, make sure you are planting a big enough chunk of plant, so that it has sufficient root mass to reestablish itself … Secondly, make sure you break up the soil in the area you’ll be transplanting into, making it easier for the roots to expand out and water to soak in. Lastly, make sure to give the plant a good drink right after transplanting to reduce the shock of being uprooted and replanted.

How often should the plants be watered?
After transplanting, water immediately. This includes the transplanted sections, as well as the original plant you’ve divided. For the first week or two, water every day, especially if it is hot and dry outside. After that, you can water every few days until Thanksgiving.

What about putting mulch over the plants prior to the first frost?
If you have zone four plants, you don’t typically need to mulch before frost. Sometimes people will plant zone five species, and it’s an insurance policy to mulch some of these plants to keep them well-insulated over the winter. This is especially true in years where we don’t have a deep snowpack, as snow also works to insulate [plants] from the bitter cold.

Do you need to cut back any of the foliage prior to or just after the first frost?
Keeping foliage up over the winter gives wonderful winter interest, habitat for beneficial pollinators and seeds for the birds to eat. Some of my favorite plants for winter interest are echinacea, liatris and sedum. I do, however, recommend cutting back plants before transplanting. This reduces the amount of evapotranspiration or water lost by the leaves. This allows the plant to concentrate its energy on root establishment.

How often should you divide a plant?
Divide plants as needed. This can be a matter of taste. I have one client who has me divide his iris every single year, and they do just great. Many people like space around their individual plants as opposed to them growing into one mass of a garden. In this case, divide plants when they are growing too close to one another. Looking for the dead middle zone is also a clear indicator to give that plant the opportunity to change shape and expand its real estate.

What happens if you don’t divide a perennial?
A lot of perennials don’t need dividing. However, for those that do, the plant will become less than its most vibrant self. Often, a plant will fall over when it flowers if it’s overdue to be divided. This may be a good indicator that it’s time to divide, or perhaps this particular plant would benefit from staking.

Can roots be damaged when dividing the plant?
Roots will be damaged. The process of dividing can look rather destructive at first glance … The plant will recover, don’t worry. Especially if you have prepped the area well and given the plant water as soon as possible. Don’t let the roots dry out or sit in the hot sun.
If you can’t transplant them immediately, keep the roots in the shade and even cover them with a tarp to keep them from losing too much moisture.

What tools are best used?
I like to use a small spade and a big bucket. Use a sharp spade to divide the plant down the middle or some variation of the middle, depending on the form of the individual plant. Then lift the plant up partially by grabbing the leaves and stalks themselves and partly by using the spade as a scoop. I then put this removed section into a big bucket to transport it to its new location. This way, any soil that falls off will remain in the bucket and can be used to fill in the new hole.

Does “first year, sleep; second year, creep; and third year, leap” apply in this case?
The first year after moving a plant in the fall, don’t expect much action. The plant is concentrating on root growth, and you may have already cut back much of its upper biomass. The second year, it will continue to establish itself, although perhaps not at the same level of vigor as the original plant. By the third year, the plant will be living its best life, [and] you may even consider dividing again at this point.




Overcoming Buckthorn

As Minnesotans we love our forests and wild places. After a long winter our lands come alive in an almost tropical fashion. Lush verdant trees and bushes, birds singing, vines climbing, flowers popping, how refreshing! What an abundance of growth we enjoy. Our consistent rains, deep, rich top soil and long days of sun create this phenomena. All this life has been in relative balance, functioning autonomously for thousands of years and is a pride of our region. Yet, like so many facets of modern life, human intervention and the advent of modern practices (such as transporting plants one bioregion to another) has created a problem which now requires a concerted effort to reverse. The balance that we have enjoyed in the past is now threatened by an aggressive, noxious, invasive species. We’ve all heard of it, Buckthorn. It's bad. Our number one problem plant affecting the local, natural ecosystems.

Buckthorn is easily spotted, especially in the spring and fall. It’s the first plant to produce leaves and last to lose them. It can be found in small forested areas on private properties, often hiding with other shrubs and trees. It’s found in the forgotten zones between adjacent properties that have been left wild for privacy. Sometimes it’s even been planted as a hedge! This is because the species was originally sold at nurseries. Buckthorn is in our parks, along bike trails and aside highways. One reason Buckthorn is so aggressive is because the fruit acts as a laxative for birds and mice. They eat the berries and rapidly excrete them while moving about. When you think of Buckthorn, we’re not just talking about bushes. Many people are surprised to learn that the 20 foot understory tree with a thick grey trunk is not a desirable tree in their yard, but rather a mature buckthorn. The mature trees are the most damaging, as they produce huge amounts of berries, spreading seed throughout their property and neighboring communities.

We know Buckthorn is pervasive, but it hasn’t taken over completely, not yet. We still have grand forests where one can easily walk through the understory, with the canopy above starting some 30 feet in the air. In these ecologically intact places, wild spring-ephemeral flowers come and soon go after the snow melts. Plants like Wild Leeks, Virginia Bluebell and Maiden-Hair Fern grow on the forest floor. We have Cedar, Maple, Oak, Linden, Poplar, Pine and Cottonwood trees growing in regal fashion throughout our state. However, all of this becomes clogged, congested and squashed by Buckthorn. The reason being, Buckthorn leafs out before any of our natives species and remains green long after everything else has lost its leaves. They block the sun from the saplings and herbaceous plants we desire, hogging the light and moisture they need to thrive. When Buckthorn grows, it creates thick stands that are practically impossible to pass through. Native plants can't compete, thereby reducing the habitat and food sources animals relay on as well.

So, what can be done? Act fast. We need to eliminate the Buckthorn on private property, as well as municipalities, removing it from our parks. Effectively reducing the future problem from becoming worse than it is today. Let’s protect the great stands of native forests where Buckthorn is just beginning to establish at the forests edge. What an opportunity! We can revert an inevitable disaster! Removing these plants now will make it exponentially easier to protect those ecosystems than if we ignore it and address it in the future. Do it yourself or have it professionally done. Encourage your neighbors to do the same, as neighboring trees can continue populating your property. Learn to identify Buckthorn and start seeing it in the landscape. Plant native species like Serviceberry and Sandcherry that are food sources to bees, birds and other woodland animals.


How is it done? To effectively eliminate Buckthorn you simply need a saw and herbicide. The herbicide is used sparingly only on the freshly cut trunk, to treat the stump. This will keep the plant from shooting up vigorous suckers, growing back from the ground, as the living root system isn’t killed through cutting down the plant alone. It does take time and effort however, after your Buckthorn is removed you’ll find you have more of your property back. This gives you an opportunity to plant desirable species in place of the removed Buckthorn, creating both beauty and biodiversity. Together we can curb this extensive problem. The more people on board, the easier it will be for everyone. I am professional gardener with 20 years experience in our region. Feel free to contact me with any questions about how to get started removing Buckthorn.