The Kansas Gardener

Profile
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:

  • Designing Your Landscape for your House (and You!)

    “Look at those shrubs; they are way too big for that spot.” “They have no landscape at all!” These and other statements are often heard by my patient wife and kids on drives to the city. Being a landscape designer and lover of architecture encourage me to proclaim these ideas. This past weekend my family [...]

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  • Garden Photography

    How many of you really enjoy going out into the garden and snapping photos of your favorite combination, planter, or flower? I do, and I am sure there are many other like me. Now, while I do own a professional grade SLR camera, I rarely have it on me when in my home garden, I [...]

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  • Plant Showcase: Deciduous Conifers for the Central Great Plains

    What is a conifer? A conifer is defined as a plant that produces naked seeds in cones or single naked seeds. We think of conifers with cones as pine, spruce, fir, juniper, yew, and arborvitae, but there are four deciduous conifers that we can grow in our region. An evergreen that loses its leaves, you [...]

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  • Growing Grapes in Your Backyard

    I have long been fascinated by the beauty and production of a grapevine. Tendrils clinging to each other, supports, wires, and even trees assure that the vines will reach new heights to find sunlight and air circulation. My grandparents kept the old fashioned but wonderful ‘Concord’ growing on two rows of vines in their garden. [...]

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  • Late Summer Maintenance Tips

    It’s getting to be that time of year again. Everyone thinks that the heat of July and August immediately stops weeds and plants from growing, meaning they need no maintenance. Unfortunately, this is the time when we cut back plants to produce new blooms and buds and keep plants thriving. While September is considered as [...]

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  • Get out and enjoy the spring!

    Spring is always a busy time of year. For me, it is filled with many houses waiting to be cleaned up with plants trimmed back, leaves blown out and ponds cleaned. Even with all the pressures of landscape cleanups, I still find time in the evenings and weekends to spend time enjoying the spring. This [...]

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  • Landscape Maintenance: The Who, Why, What, and When

    When friends and neighbors ask me what I do for Grimm’s Gardens, I have a difficult time explaining my job. As the landscape maintenance foreman, I have a job that entails much attention to detail, a vast knowledge of plant life and growth stages, electrical and plumbing maintenance, and a willingness to work in all [...]

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  • Garden Planning Guide February, March & April

    Winter time is the best time to plan and prepare for next year’s gardens. We at Grimm’s Gardens are busy with ideas and preparations for the upcoming spring season. From now until March 1st, we will receive many calls and emails from customers wanting to know if they can plant something, when to plant, do [...]

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  • What is the fuss about? Tomato Grafting and the Home Gardener

    Early in January I attended the Great Plains Growers Conference at Missouri Western University, in St. Joseph, MO.  While I was there I was asked to look into the tomato grafting workshop, in the hope that we could possibly put multiple varieties of tomatoes onto one plant. I admit, it was not something I was [...]

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