Garden Planning: Monarch Waystations
Last spring I went to a conference in Lawrence, KS and was inspired by Dr. Chip Taylor of KU’s biology department. In 2005, Dr. Taylor created a program to develop “Monarch Waystations” across the United States. The goal of the program is to educate the public on the importance of butterflies and their habitats, to […]
Improving Quality of Life: Improving Heavy Clay Soils
Living in the central Great Plains can be a challenge: prairie fires, extreme temperature swings, wind, chemical drift, drought, and soil quality. For many of us, soil quality can be a determining factor in choosing plants for our garden. I have been fortunate to have great silt clay loam soil in my garden, but I […]
Create a Nature Garden for Children
Every day I think about where my kids are going to play this summer when school gets out. When I was growing up I had acres of land to roam on, with no fear of traffic, or some neighbor spying on me, or all the dangers associated with today’s lifestyle. I had the garden, where […]
Rhubarb Planting Instructions
Rhubarb crowns have to be planted shallow. At least ¼ to 1/3 of the crown surface should be above the ground level when properly planted. If the bud itself is below the soil line it may rot off and fail to grow. We have seen fall planted crowns frost heave and roll around on […]
How we make Real Maple Syrup
To make maple syrup, first we need to gather maple sap. Our supplies: 1 Bucket Plastic Tubing Cordless Drill Custom Metal Tap Hammer Sanitizing Wipes We clean our supplies before they go into the tree. Then we drill a hole in the tree for the tap. The hole needs to be just large enough […]
What can I do with my herbs?
This is a beginners guide to cooking with fresh herbs. Use the following chart as a guideline to begin experimenting with new flavors in your recipes. This is an excellent way to ‘spice up’ your favorite dishes so that they seem like new! Basil Magical Michael Annual Ornamental; use to flavor Italian dishes Basil Purple […]
Gardeners are Romantics
Gardeners are romantics, dreamers, artists, composers, painters, wanderers, charmers, extremists, poets, sculptors, BELIEVERS. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and everyone is thinking about what to get for their special someone. St. Valentine’s Day got its history from ancient Rome, when Pope Galasius changed the pagan festival of Lupercalia on February 15th to the […]
What Kind of Mulch Should I Use? Rock or Wood?
There are many pros and cons to both rock and wood mulches. There is also a plethora of interesting opinions on both. You can find articles pointing to wood as the ultimate mulch and others who claim rock is the best. I hope to give you a good understanding of each so that you can […]
Prairie Plantings: Improving your Quality of Life
There something so simple and calming about the prairie. Growing up in north central Kansas, I knew too well the heat and drought of the plains states. Even in the shade of the wooded creek bottoms near our house, it was sultry and hot. Later, when I lived in Manhattan, KS, a quiet walk on […]