Udderly Beautiful

Season 36 Episode 3 | 28m 45sVideo has Closed Captions

Jackie Rickeman shares her love of cows and flowers at Floralawn Farm.

The PY&G crew visits Jackie Rickeman’s Floralawn Farm near Hutchinson, Minn. See her cows, flower beds and flower containers and experience her love of life on the farm.

2/2/2023

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Prairie Yard & Garden is a local public television program presented by Pioneer PBS

Production sponsorship is provided by Shalom Hill Farm, Heartland Motor Company, North Dakota State University, Friends of Prairie Yard & Garden, and viewers like you.

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Prairie Yard & Garden

Udderly Beautiful

Season 36 Episode 3 | 28m 45sVideo has Closed Captions

The PY&G crew visits Jackie Rickeman’s Floralawn Farm near Hutchinson, Minn. See her cows, flower beds and flower containers and experience her love of life on the farm.

2/2/2023

Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback

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(light intro music) - Today's show is not going to be cheesy at all. We won't skim along the flowers, but we'll milk their beauty for all they are worth. I think you'll find this show to be the cream of the crop as we butter you up with flowers that are utterly beautiful. I'm Mary Holm, host of "Prairie Yard and Garden". And guess where we are visiting today. I think you will find it to be a very enjoyable and moving experience. - [Narrator] Funding for "Prairie Yard and Garden" is provided by Heartland Motor Company, providing service to Minnesota and the Dakotas for over 30 years in the heart of Truck Country. Heartland Motor Company. We have your best interest at heart. Farmers Mutual Telephone Company and Federated Telephone Cooperative. Proud to be powering Acira. Pioneers in bringing state-of-the-art technology to our rural communities. Mark and Margaret Yackel-Juleen in honor of Shalom Hill Farm, a nonprofit rural education retreat center in a beautiful prairie setting near Windom, Minnesota. And by friends of "Prairie Yard and Garden", a community of supporters like you, who engage in the long-term growth of the series. To become a friend of "Prairie Yard and Garden", visit pioneer.org/pyg. (bright music) - You've heard me say how much I appreciate it when people contact me with ideas for shows. Last year, Michelle Schroeder called and told me about her friends, Jackie and Scott Rickeman, who have a dairy farm, plus lots and lots of beautiful flowers. Tom and I both grew up milking cows so it was fun to take a drive and visit their dairy farm. The men talked cows and us women talked plants. I asked Jackie if we could come back and do a show and she said yes. Welcome, Jackie, to "Prairie Yard and Garden". - Thank you and welcome to you. - How long have you lived here at this farm? - This is neither of ours home farm. I grew up about two miles south of here and Scott was about two miles north of here. And when he would come and pick me up for dates, he'd go by this place and he'd always thought, "Boy, this would be a nice farm to have someday.

" And so in 1987 when it came up for sale, we snatched her up. (Mary chuckling) - Okay, what is the name of your farm here? - Actually, years ago, Scott's grandpa used the name Floral Lawn on his farm 'cause he had a lot of flowers. And so back when Scott and I were changing our herd over to registered cattle, we needed a farm name and so we came up with the Floral Lawn that his grandpa used. - [Mary] On your dairy farm here, how many cows do you milk? - [Jackie] Right now, we're milking 80. We have room for 80. And they're in a stanchion barn, so they're always in the barn. Scott and I do most of the milking ourselves. Generally, we can get done in two hours. - [Mary] Have you always enjoyed flowers and gardening? - [Jackie] Maybe not so much. I don't know, when we started registering the cattle and we had the Floral Lawn name, it's like, wow we can't have Floral Lawn and then no flowers. So that's basically when I probably started most of my flowers and then just growing from there. Some would look really nice here, some would look nice here. And so that's how I started spreading them around. - How do you find the time to do all of these plants? - Well, as you can see, I like to be outside in the sun. And so pretty much in most of my spare time, I do come outside and I just like it. I mow all the grass. - [Mary] How do you keep up with all of the watering? - [Jackie] Oh, well, as you know this year, we haven't had hardly any rain so it's been a nightmare trying to keep up with watering to keep the plants looking nice for the show. Oh, I got a hose coming out of the barn here and that reaches a lot of plants. And during the day, I keep the sprinkler going just moving it all the time. - Jackie, when you moved here and started planting all your flowers, where did you start? - The first flowers that I planted were kind of in that crescent as you come up the driveway there on the corner. And then kind of just progressed from there. You know, eventually we put in the patio and stuff and then was able to build around that. - [Mary] It looks to me like you like to incorporate a lot of dairy or cow items. What are some of the things that you've used or that you have found? - [Jackie] I do like to try and use a lot of dairy-related antiques. So I do use a lot of milk strainers and on milk cans is one of my favorite things. And whatever I can pick up at a antique store that I I feel would be a good fit for me, then I pick them up. - Well, when we came in, I saw you had a shade area and also that beautiful crescent in front of the house. Can we go see those areas, too? - Sure, I'd love to show you. (gentle guitar music) - [Mary] Bees provide an essential service that puts food on our plates and keeps agriculture healthy and thriving in Minnesota. By taking pollen and nectar from flower to flower, bees deliver key nutrients that help our garden vegetables to grow large and delicious. That's why I'm at Glacial Ridge Growers today in Glenwood, Minnesota. Here, the Stark family has been cultivating pollinator-friendly flowers and habitats for nearly 50 years and teaching other people how to do this as well. From their greenhouses here on the prairie, the Starks grow a variety of vegetables and herbs and native plants, all nurtured with pollen from friendly buzzing bees. - Well, the average homeowner can do a lot of things. One, the first thing to do is to plant native plants because those are the plants that our pollinators wanna go to. The other thing is to keep your pesticide usage low 'cause they don't wanna be killing off those pollinators. And just keep a good broad environment out there for, you know, for plants to grow. A pollinator-friendly garden is something that can be a lot of fun for us. We'll get to see all those bees and butterflies out there, which is really a nice thing, especially in the fall as they build up for their migrations. And also, it just is a good thing to support those bees, especially because we need them for pollination. They're so important to all of our crops so we wanna continue to help them along as much as we can. - [Mary] At the risk of a bad pun, I imagine the folks here at Glacial Ridge Growers are as busy as bees. And if you'd like to learn more about starting your own pollinator-friendly garden, please visit minnesotagrown.com for more information. - So Mary, this is some of my shade area gardens. And as you can see, I enjoy hostas also. And so this is kind of where I started with hostas. - Where do you get all of your hostas? - A lot of my hostas, I've probably gotten in the spring, the Garden Club and the Master Gardeners have a sale. And so a lot of them, I probably purchased from there to start. - [Mary] Did you build these tiered walls here? - [Jackie] I did build these tiers. Most of them are field rock that I've found out in the field and just retaining block and just started from there. - [Mary] So did you do all of this work by yourself? - [Jackie] Most of it I did. My daughter helped me. She's got a landscaping degree and she kind of helped me start the curves and stuff, so. - [Mary] And then this really nice walkway with rock, did you pick all of this rock and lay it into place, too? - [Jackie] I did. Basically, when we're picking rock in the summer, when I find a nice flat one, this is kind of my storage area. And a lot of these I just threw them down and that's kind of how they started. - [Mary] And I see that you used some mulch here too. Is that to help with holding moisture or to keep the weeds down? - [Jackie] Actually, I probably put it here mostly for looks and to keep the weeds down. I just needed something for ground cover. - [Mary] I saw you have a cupola, where did that come from? - [Jackie] The cupola comes from a farm that's about two miles away from here. They demolished the barn and it was sitting out there in the yard and so I asked if I could have it and so here it goes. And ironically last night, we had a strong winds and that went head over heels into the garden right behind me. - [Mary] Well, in front of us, I noticed that you also have a pond. Tell me the story behind that. - [Jackie] Just kind of when I started gardening, I just really wanted a pond feature. And so a friend of mine that had a backhoe, came and dug that for me. - [Mary] Do you have fish in there, too? - [Jackie] I do have goldfish in there. Yes. - Okay. - [Jackie] And one frog. - [Mary] Do you have to drain that each winter then? - [Jackie] I don't drain it in the winter. A lot of times I keep the fountain running. And then sometimes, the fish live and sometimes they don't. - [Mary] Okay, well I noticed that one of your dogs kind of likes the pond, too. - [Jackie] Oh, the dogs on a hot day, the dogs go in there for their little dip and refreshing swim. - [Mary] Then you have a real pretty archway here, too. Did you build that or did you find that? - [Jackie] I bought that from the local store, but it got ran over by the combine two times before it ever got up. So that's why it looks kind of tattered. - [Mary] When we get so much wind, and I'm sure you do here, too. - Oh yes. - How do you keep your hanging baskets from drying out? - [Jackie] I pretty much water every day. I go around after I've fed calves and I've got five gallon pails. Usually, there's nine of them and then I go around to a lot of the pots and give them a drink. Or here, I can scoop out of the pond. - [Mary] Do you put anything in there in addition to the liner to help hold more moisture? - [Jackie] In the very bottom, I usually put a plastic bag. So the water don't just run out, I line the cocoa basket with cardboard and it usually seems to keep the water from just running right through. - Well, I saw on the other side of the arch, I think is that sunny area that you talked about starting when you came here to the farm. - Mm-hmm. - Can we see the plants over on that side, too? - Sure. I'd love to show you. Mary, this is the crescent garden that I said was probably my first garden that I started. And you know, when I started planting, my dream was to have perennials so that I wouldn't have to buy flowers all the time. And then I realized your perennials, you got the quack grass sneaking in, and it was always more a mess then so I basically revamped it and got back to annuals here for this year. - [Mary] Well, it looks like you use both annuals and perennials, right? - [Jackie] I do some, yeah. - [Mary] Do you start some of the plants from seeds, too? - [Jackie] I don't, intentionally, but stuff comes up on its own and then I either use it or I weed around it. It's a life and I don't like to kill it, so. - [Mary] Well, I also see the bed across the road and it looks like you have a lot of coneflowers in there and even some milkweed. Is that for the monarchs? - It is. I didn't really intentionally want to have milkweeds here, but my grandsons, they'd always come and look for the caterpillars on the leaves right away. And when they'd find them, and they'd find these little minute little things, and so then I'm just really leery of pulling any of them out because I know that the butterflies are getting scarce and I don't wanna be the cause of making one, not make it. - [Mary] I also see this very lovely coleus and I saw that you have more up on your patio. So can we go look at that area, too? - [Jackie] Sure! Let's go take a look. (light music) - I have a question. What is flame weeding and where is it most useful? - That's a great question. Flame weeding is a wonderful alternative to chemical herbicides. A lot of herbicides make people nervous, they wanna use less chemicals. They wanna be a little more environmentally friendly. So instead, you can actually use flame by way of a propane torch to burn your weeds in place. That way you don't actually have to worry about chemical exposure to you or your friends or your family, but you do need to use some precautions. So flame weeding does use propane. It can burn at 100 to 400,000 British thermal units, BTUs. So it can get really, really hot. And if you do have fine fuels like pine needles or dried up old wood chips, they could ignite. So you always wanna make sure that you have either a fire extinguisher or a water source nearby. You can see right here, I've got my torch, I've got my 20 pound propane tanks, same thing that you would use for your grill. And then I've got a little fire extinguisher back here. I'm also near a water source on the building. So if I need to, I can always go back and do that. You wanna protect yourself. So I usually recommend, again, wearing long sleeves, long pants covering your skin because if you're weeding around a lot of rocks, there are air bubbles inside of rocks and it could make the rock explode and pop and potentially burn yourself. Another huge thing to do is make sure that you protect your eyes. So again, just wear sunglasses or safety glasses. Because if anything flies up and hits you, you wanna be prepared for that. And I can use it to burn, these are oxalis mostly in here. It's a common garden weed that drives people crazy because it seeds everywhere. But I'm gonna tell you right now, it responds to flame weeding beautifully. They go up quite right away. And by the time you're done with flame weeding, you don't even really see them anymore. On top of that, the flame weeder kills weed seeds on the surface. That's something that a lot of your chemical herbicides will not do. It'll only kill the actively growing weeds. It will not prevent the seeds from re-germinating and growing all over again. - [Narrator] Ask the Arboretum Experts has been brought to you by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, dedicated to welcoming, informing, and inspiring all through outstanding displays, protected natural areas, horticultural research, and education. - Jackie, this is absolutely beautiful. This patio area is so pretty. - You know, we put this in many years ago and we've really thoroughly enjoyed this space for our family. - [Mary] Did you build this or did somebody help you? - No, I had it hired done. - [Mary] Well you have so many beautiful flowers here and even these pots that are on this table, but tell me the story of this table. - [Jackie] I saw the plans for that table in a a garden book that I had and so I asked my neighbor to make it for me and he did and we had taken out the old stairway and so he used the spindles as the legs. And so brings a little bit of home into it, too. - [Mary] Well, it's just beautiful and it's so pretty because you use so many rustic pots and planters. - [Jackie] Yeah, I like to go to the antique stores. And when I find old pails and enamelware, just anything i I like to see that I could visualize as a pot, then I pick it up. - [Mary] Do you plant these planters by yourself? - [Jackie] I do, I do plant them all. Well, except for a couple of those baskets, I bought from the garden center. - [Mary] When do you start everything? - [Jackie] I try to hold myself back until the frost is done. Usually, it's later in May when I do start and then I try to tell myself to just kind of wait. But then I don't. - [Mary] Do you use new soil in your pots each year? - [Jackie] I don't always use new soil, but this year I started a system where I put a plastic fork in if it's new soil, so that next year I will know. Then I don't have to dump it out. And it depends on how much potting soil I've got on supply. - Do you add fertilizer when you do the planting or do you fertilize throughout the season or both? - Mostly I use Osmocote when I start planting. Or sometimes, I buy the the soil mix that's already gutted in. And then I do use Miracle-Gro if I think about it. When I see something that's getting yellow, then I try to pull out the Miracle-Gro. But it's easier to just do without. - Well, speaking of yellow, this is a beautiful hosta. Where did you get this from? - [Jackie] I got that from a friend. And it was only a couple leaves when I got it, but it's to the point where it should be divided now. - [Mary] Well, it's beautiful and it anchors your corner here. So nice. - Thank you. - [Mary] And I really like the ground cover here with it. The yellows pick each other up so nice. - Yeah, yeah. - [Mary] And then it's blooming so nice, too. - [Jackie] Yeah, I was gonna cut some of the blooms off yesterday and then the hummingbird was gathering nectar and so I left them there. - Well, it looks to me like you really, really like the coleus. Do you have some of the favorite varieties that you use? - [Jackie] I really like the lime green coleus. And that one over there is called the River Walk. I just like the way it looks against my house. So many of the other coleus are brown tones and they probably look fine against my brick too, but with the brown house, then they don't show up so well. - [Mary] That one in the basket there, is beautiful. What is that? - [Jackie] Now that one is called Niagara Falls. Or sometimes, they call it strawberry drop. That's one of my favorites, too, 'cause I liked how it cascades down a little bit. - [Mary] It's really, really nice. And then, are these perennials here, do these come back each year? - [Jackie] Yeah, they snuck in here somehow and so I just leave them. - [Mary] How many pots and planters do you have here at the farm? - [Jackie] Well, this morning, I had my daughter and my grandson go and count and they came up with 125. - [Mary] How long does it take you to water when you go through? - [Jackie] I kind of do it in increments, I guess, you might say. And after my morning calves, I fill up the pails with water and then go around and do the ones that I can't reach with a hose. And then later on when I see one that's droopsy, then it reminds me, "Oh yeah, I gotta do these by the house.

" And I don't ever wear a watch, so I really don't know. - [Mary] What are some of the different things that you use for planters? - [Jackie] I do enjoy the enamelware in the different blues and the yellows. I've got some crackpots that I like to use. So this summer, my son-in-law was cutting down some trees and had the hollow one and I just thought, "Nathan, I need those for a planter.

" And so that's how I got that idea. - [Mary] And do you use any special kind of soil in that or just regular potting soil? - [Jackie] Just potting soil, yeah. - [Mary] Then I see that you've actually mixed some of the coleus varieties together, too. Are there certain ones that you like to use together? - [Jackie] I like to use kind of a lime green and then maybe a darker leaf one with the lime green in. Over here, the glennis used to be my favorite. It's kind of got the pinks and the yellows and so it coordinates well with stuff. - [Mary] What do you do with all your pots in the wintertime? - [Jackie] I crowd them into that white shed over there. I just start from the back and just keep putting them in. - [Mary] Is there anything that you keep from one year to the next? - In the fall, I always tell my family, "Don't let me take anything in the basement because I don't take care of it.

" Well, then I do. And then usually, it's late into the season before it can be actually shown to anybody. - And then when do you bring those plants back out again? - Usually on a day when it's calm, you know? Otherwise, they get so tattered. But usually, they just are so fragile anyway, you know? - [Mary] You've made me so jealous because you've got some calla lilies that are doing beautiful. How do you treat those? - [Jackie] I just dig them in the fall and I put them in a closet area down in the basement over winter. And then when I think about them, usually, they've got sprouts on about like that and then I start planting and I don't know, they flower. - [Mary] Jackie, you have so many beautiful colors here, but do you have any favorite flowers or any favorite colors that you like to use? - [Jackie] Well, I do like the lime green River Walk and then I like that along with the, it's just called cherry wave petunias. And I use a lot of cherry wave petunias. - [Mary] Do you buy those or do you start those or do they come up by themselves? - [Jackie] Well, a little of both. I usually am running's best customer. I know when the truck comes in. And I gather them up, but also this year, over in that bed over there, I probably only planted each one about a foot apart. And all of a sudden, they were just like lawn grass. They were coming up from seed, the ones from last year. - [Mary] Do you ever have to worry about the cows getting out or eating some of your plants, too? - [Jackie] Usually, the cows don't get out. Although, there's that section in the barn there where they can put their head out the windows and then they do grab what they can reach. I've got a highest climbing beans and they like to grab those and eat them. - [Mary] Okay. - [Jackie] And the milkweeds that they can reach, they like those, too. - [Mary] But for the most part, your dairy cows and their flowers get along just fine. - [Jackie] That's right, they do. - Well, this has been so fun to see your beautiful flowers. - Thank you, thank you. - Thank you so much for letting us come. - I'm glad you enjoyed it. - [Narrator] Funding for "Prairie Yard and Garden" is provided by Heartland Motor Company, providing service to Minnesota and the Dakota's for over 30 years. In the heart of Truck Country, Heartland Motor Company. We have your best interest at heart. Farmer's Mutual Telephone Company and Federated Telephone Cooperative. Proud to be powering Acira, pioneers in bringing state-of-the-art technology to our rural communities. Mark and Margaret Yackel-Juleen, in honor of Shalom Hill Farm, a nonprofit rural education retreat center in a beautiful prairie setting near Windom, Minnesota. And by friends of "Prairie Yard and Garden", a community of supporters like you, who engage in the long-term growth of the series. To become a friend of "Prairie Yard and Garden", visit pioneer.org/pyg. (bright music)