Peach Fuzz – The Color of the Year

Peach Fuzz – The Color of the Year

Peach fuzz is the 2024 color of the year, according to Pantone. Each year, Pantone picks a color as a snapshot in time, trying to connect with our emotions and deep-seated feelings. Peach fuzz is a hue not really pink and not quite orange. It captures our desires to nurture kindness, compassion, and connection, all […]

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Native Bees

Native Bees

As the winter turns into February, I begin to really long for spring. And the native bees are the first pollinators to arrive. On dandelions, toothwort, dicentra, and other early spring wildflowers, I see native bees. There are around 4,000 native bees in the United States and about 400 in Kansas. And it may be […]

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Garden Tour- 2023 at the Kansas Gardener’s

Garden Tour- 2023 at the Kansas Gardener’s

It is that time of year again! I really do enjoy sharing my love of gardening each season with all of you. And I love sharing my garden. So much so that this year I offered live garden tours. Of course, the first day I had to settle for a live video tour instead of […]

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Tidy Gardening

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 […]

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Showy Sedum – October Plant of the Month

Showy Sedum – October Plant of the Month

Showy sedum is our September Plant of the Month for 2023. Also known as live forever, orpine, tall sedum, and butterfly stonecrop; it is one of the best late summer and fall perennials for pollinators. If you have not planted this perennial then you cannot imagine the amount of insects it attracts. Easy to grow […]

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Rain Garden Plants

Rain Garden Plants

What is a rain garden? A rain garden is an area within the landscape that gets the majority of its moisture from rain. It may also get wet from a hose runoff or hillside springs. The rain garden can be a functional and beautiful part of the landscape. I have heard some people call their […]

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Mountain Mints – July Plant of the Month

Mountain Mints – July Plant of the Month

Mountain mints are our July Plant of the Month. One of my favorite natives for the landscape, mountain mints are a slow-spreading, non-invasive member of the mint family. I first became acquainted with it after moving to Northeast Kansas, and I found slender mountain mint (P. tenuifolium) goring in a ditch by the Hiawatha, KS […]

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Hardworking Natives

Hardworking Natives

Natives are becoming more and more popular. And with the uncertainty of fluctuating weather patterns, using natives has become more important for all gardeners. Nonnative plants can be great in the landscape, as long as they are not proven to become invasive, which a lot of them are. But using regionally selected native plants for […]

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Easy to Grow Plants for New Gardeners

Easy to Grow Plants for New Gardeners

In the past few years, a lot of new gardeners have come on the scene. Some of it has happened through boredom during the years of the pandemic, while other have come into gardening through a desire to feed their families healthy food. Many new gardeners are finding that gardening is more fun than they […]

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