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 […]
How To Attract Insect Pollinators to Your Garden
Welcome to the new year! Last season was one of the busiest gardening seasons for many across the country, with many new gardeners. With all those new gardeners, came a plethora of questions about a wide range of gardening topics. I am going to kick off the new year with one of the most important […]
Plant Sucking Insects
This is quite a literal statement; there are a number of small insects that suck plant juices. This damage to the plant stresses them, often causing mottling or stippling, and is difficult to treat without insecticides. Let us delve in to the world of plant sucking insects. Insect Mouthparts – Piercing/Sucking There are a number […]
Edible Plants You Didn’t Know You Had
In this time of uncertainty, and the worry over possible food shortages, people are gardening more and more. In you own already landscaped yard, have you wondered what plants might be edible? There are a variety of edible plants you didn’t know you had, already growing in almost every landscape. Learning what plants grow in […]
Barkophile
Being a tree person leads to many different obsessions – fall color, fruit, shade, and bark. I first heard the term barkophile, not an actual word but very real, used at a conference in Iowa last winter. It has been used to describe arborists and landscapers who seek out trees for their bark characteristics. Everything […]
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 […]
Common Landscape Plants with Unusual Edible Qualities: Not Your Typical Fruit or Vegetable!
We all want a landscape that is easy to maintain, provides beauty all year round, and provides benefits for our families, right? What if we create landscapes that are even more beneficial to our families and to wildlife, where we could, in season, simply pick fruit right off the tree in our backyard? And what […]
Tidy Gardening
Recently, a colleague asked me about plants for tidy gardening. But what is tidy gardening, and how does one achieve it? I have discussed many times my gardening ideals, which include diversity, and lots of plant materials. But I realize there are many homeowners, and some gardeners who prefer to have a tidy look, with […]
October Colors in the Garden
When fall finally arrives, it seems as if all the colors in the garden are playing me for a fool. I love the way the garden looks during spring and summer, with the many bright splashes of flower colors and all the greens! But October, wow. It seems as if an entire palette of mixed […]
