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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
100 Sunny Cottage Garden Perennials
How many perennials do you need for the cottage garden? Well, that really depends on your layout, design, and the size of land you are working with. I have a small backyard garden area, roughly 15 feet by 30 feet, in which I have around 70 species of perennials, shrubs, and grasses. And this is […]
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 […]
Plants for a Mediterranean Garden
Choosing plants for a Mediterranean garden is a hard thing to do if you live in wet parts of the US. But here in Kansas, many things that would go great in a Mediterranean garden would be great here too. I have never desired to try this style of gardening, but as it turns out, […]
Pollinator Pockets
What are pollinator pockets? Well, there is no official term for it, but pollinator pockets are small pieces of garden just for pollinators. It could be any size, but by my definition, it would be no larger than a 10 foot by 10 foot bed. However, the possibilities of a pollinator pocket are not small, […]
Rabbits – Keeping Them from the Garden
Rabbits in the garden? Oh no! Yes, rabbits can be a very detrimental pest in any garden, whether growing vegetables, cut flowers, or fruit. I deal with the problems associated with rabbits every season, and spring and winter the most. Keeping them out of the garden is not easy, and many of the things most […]
Underused Plants
As you spend your time planning for next year, look for underused plants. They come in all shapes and sizes, and many of them can be stars of the garden. I spend a lot of time with such plants, trying them in various places in my gardens. Some are ongoing trials, while others are stars […]
