Bring More Golden into the Garden
After listening to a podcast with gardener Margaret Roach, in upstate New York, I realized that just do not have enough golden in my garden. I have always known I need more of it, at the back of my mind, nearly subconsciously. For when walking through my Entry Garden, I notice the Citronelle Coral Bells […]
Benefits of Growing Black Walnuts
Autumn is harvest time, and as harvest of field crops begins to dwindle, many turn their thoughts to Thanksgiving and Halloween. I often think about my grandparents at this time of year, remembering all the great experiences they shared with me… eating potato doughnuts on Halloween, learning about trees in the backyard, and husking and […]
Plants for Miniature Gardens
Miniature gardens (often referred to as fairy gardens) are a very popular method of introducing gardening to those who do not have the space or time for large scale landscape, as well as helping to spark the imaginations of a generation of children who do not have the resources available elsewhere. Miniature gardens need small […]
Groundcovers for the Garden
Groundcovers are one of the most important plants groups in the garden. They play a crucial role in retaining soil on slopes, they can fill large areas of shady ground where grass will not grow, and they can provide an unbroken expanse of color that helps tie garden areas together. There are two main types […]
Lady in Red Fern – #1 Container
What Will Grow Near a Black Walnut Tree?
Black Walnut trees are wonderful if you are a cabinet maker, eat the walnuts, or leave them as forage for wildlife, or use the husks to make a colorfast dye. But if you are a gardener, they provide a challenge, to say the least. A toxic chemical, juglone, diffuses from the roots into the soil, […]
Using Native Grasses in the Landscape
Native grasses have always fascinated me. Living in the Great Plains, and growing up in the Smoky Hills Region of Kansas, I got to find grasses from two separate ecoregions. The tall grasses of the east and short grasses of the west seemed to collide in my backyard. Now, I use native grasses and sedges […]
Shade Groundcovers
Shade groundcovers are suited best for areas under, well, shade. But what are groundcovers exactly? Many new gardeners are not sure about the role or purpose of groundcovers in the garden let alone for shade. Shade is any area under trees, overhangs, or structures such as pergolas, which recieves less than 8 hours of direct […]
Spring Ephemerals of the Central Great Plains
This is the time of year when spring ephemerals start emerging in the woodlands. These mostly little beauties are not only heralds of spring, but the only pollen and nectar source for early bees, butterflies, and moths. I would go so far as to say that they are rockstars of the plant world, in early […]
