Borealis Honeyberry – #2 Container
Shrubs for Birds – Andrew’s Top 10
Planting shrubs for birds is about as much fun as moth hunting, for me anyways. I do not know what I love more, plants or insects, but they both provide me with a lot of joy. And the fact that I get birds to come for both is a bonus. But what shrubs are best […]
Bring the Heat with Hardy Hibiscus
Hardy hibiscus love the heat, so when summer hits, it starts exploding in the garden. I follow a lot of gardening groups online, and one of the biggest concerns people have is the slow start of their hardy hibiscus. Is it dead? Why is it not growing yet? It is a yearly thing, especially with […]
Planting for Pollinators – April and May
For several years now, the trend has been on what to plant for pollinators. This is a two-sided question. What do you think of when planting for pollinators? Do you think about what plants pollinators are attracted to for nectar and pollen, or attracted to as a host plant? We need to think about both […]
2021 Year in Review – Landscape Problems
Every December, I put together a Year in Review post about things that have happened during the previous 11 months. First up is our annual review of the pests, diseases, and abiotic problems in the landscape. 2021 opened without the services of our arborist and tree trimmer Nick. After conference, it was decided to put […]
What Should the Kansas State Fruit be?
Kansas is well-known for a number of representative symbols, but we have no state fruit. Other states have a state fruit, but not us. Why is that? Well, for one thing, state symbols are not pressing business within the branches of our government. Just like the Kansas state insect, the honeybee, it is up to […]
Flying Flowers and More
But what are flying flowers? When I was growing up, I used to love poring over the photos in Birds & Blooms Magazine, which I read at my Grandma’s house. In the magazine, they had a section called flying flowers, which were photos of butterflies. I learned a lot about butterflies and gardening that way. […]
Cottage Style – Reimagining America’s First Gardens
Cottage style gardens were the first American gardens, before it was America. When we were still part of the original British Empire, our gardens (not those of the wealthy) were a mixture of edibles, medicinals, and flowers. Most of what early Americans ate came from this garden, and their medicines as well. Annual and perennial […]
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. […]
