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, […]
The Care of Trees – Major Insect Pests of Trees
One of the most common things I see today on social media is questions about what is eating my plant. Insect pests are part of the biodiverse landscape we live in. Without most of them, we would not have a healthy landscape. Birds, mammals, and many other parts of the ecosystem rely on a diet […]
The Care of Trees – Planting Trees
“Life is a shade better under a tree”. I mentioned this quote used by Grimm’s Gardens founder Doug Grimm in last week’s post on trees for autumn. Trees are amazing things; they provide us with shade, shelter, lumber, food, and much more. Planting and growing trees has been at the foundation of Grimm’s Gardens, and […]
10 Best Trees for Autumn Color
Autumn is officially here and as I look around, I see tress beginning to put off their greens for gold and scarlet. The turning of the leaves is one of my favorite times of the year, despite the fact that winter follows it. Even growing up in the Central Great Plains, away from any native […]
