Garden Tour with the Kansas Gardener
It is that time of year again, time for a tour through my gardens! 2022 was one of the most difficult years for me at our house. Besides gardening through a drought and hot summer, my mower never did work right, the front yard is still torn up, and I only got 2 raised beds […]
Drought Tolerant Plants – Learning From 2022
Drought in 2022 has been very tough on a lot of gardeners, not just those in Kansas and Nebraska. However, a lot of good has also come from the drought and heat. We have learned a lot about our landscapes, and just how tough our plants can be. Besides drought, we have also had extensive […]
Goldenrods – October Plant of the Month
Goldenrods are the October Plant of the Month for 2022. One of the most recognized fall flowers, goldenrods are native across the entire United States. Despite its wide distribution, it is often blamed for the allergies associated with hay fever, which is caused by ragweed, not goldenrod. However, that blame is starting to disappear as […]
Bonesets – September Plant of the Month
Bonesets are the September plants of the month. Members of the Aster Family, and closely related to blazingstars, bonesets are found primarily from the Rocky Mountains eastward. The name boneset comes from break-bone fever, an influenza-like fever, which causes severe bone pain. Native Americans used Eupatorium perfoliatum (Common boneset) to treat the fever. Native to […]
Planting for Pollinators – August and September
We gardeners do not typically think as much about flowers for pollinators in late summer. Once August hits, its time to be a lazy gardener, resting in the hammock or taking the family on vacation. But the insects never get to take a break. They are always working. Therefore, we need to remember to plant […]
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 […]
Garden Phlox – August Plant of the Month
Garden phlox is our August Plant of the Month for 2022. When I was younger and just getting into gardening (around age 6), I remember my grandma showing my the beautiful garden phlox she had in her cottage garden. As I grew, I originally saw it as a weedy plant that would not stay where […]
Fountains – Adding Serenity to the Garden
Fountains in the garden can bring peace and serenity. The sound and movement of water in the garden is like a symphony in full glory. Water is music, and fountains are the easiest way of adding that music to the garden. They do not have to be huge; they can be as small as a […]
Favorite Natives (And Nativars) of the Author’s Garden
How many favorite natives can you have? I have been gardening for more than 30 years, and adding natives into my gardens from the very beginning. At my parent’s home in North Central Kansas, I recognized several natives which made their way into my container gardens, and eventually into the landscaping I did for my […]
