Butterfly Lovers Buffet Plants

Butterfly Lovers Buffet Plants

Butterfly lovers should plant a variety of plants, from trees and shrubs, to grasses and perennials for butterflies. But what are some of the best plants to attract butterflies, and other pollinators to the garden? How can butterfly lovers plant such a buffet of perennials, grasses, and other plants to attract the widest variety of […]

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Boxwood – March Plant of the Month

Boxwood – March Plant of the Month

While boxwood may not be one of my favorite plants, they are extremely useful in the landscape. And you can cut them for winter greenery. The reason they are the plant of the month is because of their winter durability. They provide quite a bit of green coming out of winter, and they look good […]

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Peach Fuzz – The Color of the Year

Peach Fuzz – The Color of the Year

Peach fuzz is the 2024 color of the year, according to Pantone. Each year, Pantone picks a color as a snapshot in time, trying to connect with our emotions and deep-seated feelings. Peach fuzz is a hue not really pink and not quite orange. It captures our desires to nurture kindness, compassion, and connection, all […]

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Medicinal Plants in the Garden

Medicinal Plants in the Garden

What are medicinal plants? When you think about medicine, what comes to mind first? Probably not plants. But there are a host of plants in the garden which are not only used by the pharmaceutical industry, but are also useful directly by homeowners. Warning: Medicinal plants are both useful and dangerous. This post is meant […]

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Powerful Perennials – Top 10

Powerful Perennials – Top 10

What are powerful perennials? These are perennial flowers that rock the garden each season. They are long blooming, long lasting, long lived, and good for pollinators. Picking a top 10 is the hardest part, because there are a lot of powerful perennials to choose from. What is it that gardeners want in their gardens? Hopefully, […]

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Native Bees

Native Bees

As the winter turns into February, I begin to really long for spring. And the native bees are the first pollinators to arrive. On dandelions, toothwort, dicentra, and other early spring wildflowers, I see native bees. There are around 4,000 native bees in the United States and about 400 in Kansas. And it may be […]

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Evergreen Plants for the Central Great Plains

Evergreen Plants for the Central Great Plains

Evergreen plants can be anything that does not lose its leaves in winter. That would include groundcovers, perennials, shrubs, vines, and trees. But to keep it modest, I will go over some of the trees and shrubs which are evergreen in our region. These are some of the best choices for our area. I will […]

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Sun Groundcovers

Sun Groundcovers

Sun groundcovers are great additions to the garden. But is shade groundcovers are used to cover and protect bare soil under trees and structures, wat are sun groundcovers used for? Well, they mainly are used to fill large spaces. Many of our gardens are in large lots, and filling it all with turfgrass seems wasteful. […]

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Shade Groundcovers

Shade Groundcovers

Shade groundcovers are suited best for areas under, well, shade. But what are groundcovers exactly? Many new gardeners are not sure about the role or purpose of groundcovers in the garden let alone for shade. Shade is any area under trees, overhangs, or structures such as pergolas, which recieves less than 8 hours of direct […]

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