Ask the Patch Pros: All About Gardening

You know that one neighbor of yours with the amazing garden? Admit it, you're a little bit jealous whenever summer rolls around and everything starts blooming.

Given your two brown thumbs, it's understandable you might have a hard time competing. Until now, that is, because you just gained a secret weapon: the brains of our Patch pros.

Have you been having trouble pruning your rose bushes? Perhaps you want to know the best vegetables to plant in Minnesota. Or maybe you're just wondering how to get rid of the Asian lady beetles making a home in your garden. Whatever the problem, our Patch pros are here to help.

Larry Cipolla, a Hennepin County Master Gardener, is ready and able to offer helpful advice on anything related to gardening. Larry is also a member of the Minnesota Hosta Society and the American Hosta Society.

Tim Zimmerman is the city horticulturalist in charge of all of Edina's gardens and the city's greenhouse. Joining him is Ted Stephenson, the horticulturalist at  in Edina.

UPDATE: Another expert has joined the fray. Jason Ladd, a Richfield resident who works for the U of M libraries, has been gardening all of his life as a hobbyist. He's taken several horticulture classes and currently manages a 30-by-40 square foot vegetable garden with eight raised beds.

If you have any plant-related questions in the next few days, please post them in the comments below. One of the aforementioned Patch pros will get you an answer ASAP.