The Kansas Gardener

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Andrew Mitchell, also known professionally as the Kansas Gardener, is a Horticulturalist, Nursery Crops Specialist, and Landscape Maintenance Supervisor for Grimm's. He has a B.S. Degree in Horticulture from Kansas State University and a A.S. Degree in Agronomy from Cloud County Community College. Andrew is a Lifetime Member of the National Home Gardening Club and a member of the American Horticultural Society. He is a regular writer and on the Board of Directors of the Kansas Native Plant Society and the Eternal Hope Worship Center. Andrew lives on an oak-hickory remnant forest edge with his wife and 3 children. He is an avid collector of plant species, and has an interest in heirloom vegetables. Andrew spends his free time in photography, hiking, spending time with his family and church, and working in the garden.

Posts by The Kansas Gardener:

  • Plant of the Week: Hydrangea White Diamonds

    Hydrangea White Diamonds is our Plant of the Week for this week. Here, during the hottest part of summer, it can be difficult to find anything that really looks good. White Diamonds is the plant that always looks good. This tough, smaller panicled hydrangea is the best bloomer in my garden. It absolutely outshines it [...]

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  • Oak Tree Problems: Kermes Scale

    All of us who have oaks really love the shade that these mighty trees give. But we also know that most are slow growing, and have a variety of pests and diseases that affect them each year. The damage from Kermes scale is very noticeable, making our lovely trees stand out in the crowd of [...]

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  • Choosing a Native Maple Tree

    When autumn comes, people’s thoughts turn to New England. The eastern coast of North America is well-known for their covered bridges, rolling Appalachian mountains, and their autumn colors. And maple trees make the up the bulk of the colorful trees there. The maples that can be found there include sugar, silver, red, boxelder, and snake [...]

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  • Plant of the Week: Walker’s Low Catmint

    Walker’s Low catmint is our Plant of the Week for this week. Catmint (Nepeta) is a low-growing, perennial that has great qualities in the landscape. I started working with Walker’s Low in 2006 as a landscape designer in Manhattan, KS. We used a lot of low maintenance plants that were very hardy and drought tolerant. [...]

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  • Summertime Pests

    Now that summer is here, it seems that we get new outbreaks of pests coming through daily. What we really have is a buildup of pest problems that occur in succession through the season and become more problematic as plants suffer from heat and drought. The biggest concerns in our area are Japanese beetles, bagworms, [...]

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  • Plant of the Week: Hydrangea ‘Vanilla Strawberry’

    Hydrangea ‘Vanilla Strawberry is this week’s Plant of the Week. In our gardens and those of our customers’, there has not been a better blooming hydrangea. Hydrangea paniculata, aka the Panicled Hydrangea, is native to Southeast Asia. However, it has been cultivated and grown here in the United States since the 1860’s. We use a [...]

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  • How To Read A Soil Test

    When you are beginning to garden, setting out new beds, or planting trees and shrubs, it is important to get a soil test. Reading a soil test will allow you know what nutrients to add to raise or lower your pH, and improve your soil before planting. What is pH (1) The pH of your [...]

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  • Garden Tips for August

    Now that we are in the dog days of summer and August, what is there to do in the garden? Yes it is hot, but there are still things that need done before we head to vacations. What needs done the most in August? In the vegetable garden, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and more (especially zucchini) [...]

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  • Plant of the Week: False Sunflower

    This week’s plant of the week is a long blooming, summer flower: false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides). This native, perennial wildflower has been cultivated by many nurseries. We have a selection of cultivars to choose from. What more can I say about this perennial? It is a very long-blooming flower, opening in late may and June [...]

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