Magazines For The Gardener: Michigan Gardening Magazine

Browse any periodical section in our area bookstores, grocery stores, etc. and you will most likely come across Michigan Gardening Magazine, a local flavored magazine printed under the umbrella of the larger State-by-state gardening periodical empire.  In general, I find that said organization tends to lump Michigan into the broader "upper Midwest" category, and in the past I have largely purchased single issues of the magazine to read articles by people I actually know or have met, or to stop being so cabin crazy in the winter.  I have been increasingly impressed by the last several issues, however, and the latest one, pictured below, seems to have taken the offering to new levels.  The presentation is much more visually appealing, the content is actually teaching me new things on every page, and even the normally basic/novice-focused q & a and regional report sections seem to be either showing that our local gardeners are getting more intense in their hobby or that the magazine is starting to cater to a much broader audience.

Honestly, I'm probably going to subscribe to this thing once I get my new address (and HUGE garden) going.  Of note in this month's issue is a section on our native milkweeds, a lovely photographed piece on Belle Isle's garden spaces, a look at fruiting shrubbery, and a closing article by Joseph Tychonievich on why rain and our typically wet Michigan summers are not to be frowned upon.  As usual, regular contributor Lisa Steinkopf (of our local Steinkopf Nursery at Farmington and 8-Mile!) covers notes of interest for our corner of the state in the regional reports feature.  Come to think of it, the magazine is really good for informing local readers about the who's who in local gardening efforts, along with some of the fancier current events.  "Michigan" gardening indeed!  Give it a go before you head to the fancy 10 dollar summer specials on the magazine rack; odds are there will be much more substance here at half the cost.