Plants for Winter Interest in the Garden
Now that winter is finally upon us, I like to look at my garden and think about the future. Right now, the snow is settled over the landscape, and I can see what looks good in it. Plants for winter interest are definitely needed. But we also want plants with multiple season interest. If we […]
Dry Streams – Adding Functionality to the Garden
Dry streams are a way to hide or transform water using locations within the garden. These areas are not rain gardens, but low and sloped spots that water runs through quickly after a rain. It might be the location of the downspout outflow, a sloped spot in a level lawn, or a drainage swale used […]
Aster – October Plant of the Month
Aster is our October Plant of the Month. When it comes to fall flowers, asters and goldenrods really outshine everything else. But because asters come in shades of purple, white, blue, and even pink, they are more memorable than the plain yellow goldenrods. Both are great for pollinators in late summer and into autumn, but […]
Armyworms in the Garden
But what are armyworms? These moth caterpillars are so called because they gather into groups or “armies” while feeding. At least, the fall armyworm does. There are 3 common species of armyworm in the Central Great Plains and 2 that are important pests in the lawn and landscape. Armyworms are members of the Noctuid Moths, […]
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. […]
Meet the Pollinators : Skipper Butterflies
What are skipper butterflies and why are they separate from other butterflies? Skippers are often termed as an intermediate group between butterflies and moths. What does that mean? It mean that they have characteristics of both groups within Lepidoptera. Skipper butterflies have furry bodies similar to moths, but fly during the day and sit at […]
Build a Butterfly Garden in 9 Steps
Building a butterfly garden should be on the list for every gardener. You can make your entire garden and landscape a butterfly garden or you can create a small, postage stamp garden specifically for butterflies. Anyone, even balcony gardeners can have a butterfly garden. You can have your own pollinator paradise in 9 easy steps. […]
The Kansas Gardener’s Garden – 2020
It is that time of year again; time to take a tour through my gardens! Even in other years, the only people that visit my gardens are my family, so the pandemic did not change much. I love sharing plants and ideas with people, so this yearly virtual tour is exciting to do. I will […]
Flowers for the Kitchen Garden
Kitchen gardens are usually referred to as vegetable gardens. I prefer to call mine the potager garden. Potager is the French word for kitchen garden. This is where you would grow vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers for use in cooking. Why add flowers? But why should I add flowers to my vegetable garden? Because, adding […]
