Attracting Hummingbirds to the Garden
Attracting hummingbirds is one of nearly every gardener’s dream. We all want these brightly colored, quick-moving birds flitting about in our gardens. Watching them sparring over mates and territory in the summer is as fascinating as watching the sunset in the Flint Hills of Kansas. But how do we attract hummingbirds to the garden? Can […]
Replacing the Urban Tree Canopy – Post EAB
The urban tree canopy is failing. In many cities across eastern North America, gardeners and arborists find themselves in a situation. We need to replace the canopy of our urban forest, again. This has happened before, and we failed to learn from it. It happened after Dutch Elm Disease, and now it is happening again […]
A Guide to Growing Oaks: Pests & Diseases
Last week we talked about the various kinds of oaks that can be grown here in the central Great Plains. Now we are going to go over the various pests and disease that may effect those trees. There are many problems that are more aesthetic than need to be worried about. But I will discuss […]
Definitions of Common Gardening Terms
There are many words used in gardening posts and blogs that people may not know the meaning of. Well, this post is the place to be if you really want to know what something mean. I will be defining to the best of my knowledge (and a dictionary) the following terms. Enjoy and I hope […]
A Guide To Growing Oaks: Picking a Tree
Oaks are part of nearly every landscape in North America. There are 91 species of oaks in the United States, and another 100 or so crosses between species. Choosing an oak for your landscape can be challenging with this many options. The good thing is, most nurseries only carry a few species and some cultivars. […]
Growing Fruit – Problems of Stone Fruits
In the last blog I went over all the major problems of pome fruits in the Central Great Plains. Now I am ready to get on to something even juicier, the stone fruits. What are stone fruits? Stone fruits include fruits that have a centralized single seed, usually with a very hard shell or coating. […]
Growing Fruit – Problems of Apples and Pears
Just as soon as I get one thing done in the orchard, more work suddenly springs upon me. When growing fruit trees with as few chemical inputs as possible, there can never be too much time in the orchard. While I am still learning, there is much that I can teach. Let us look at […]
The Care of Trees – Major Diseases of Trees
As we head into autumn we need to start preparing for next season’s round of diseases. Some of these diseases of trees will affect us now and into winter, while others pop up during spring and summer. Knowing which disease is most likely to be a problem for our trees is important to preventing major […]
Plant of the Week: Oregon Trail Maple
Oregon Trail maple is our Plant of the Week for the last week of October. This is our signature tree, everyone around us knows us for this special plant. About Oregon Trail Maple Hiawatha, KS has long been known as the City of Beautiful Maples. Over the decades, many sugar maples were planted in Hiawatha, […]
