Grimm's Garden Talk

  • What is Biochar? – And How to Make It

    What is biochar? When I first heard of this amazing soil amendment, I was very skeptical. How could charcoal help improve my soil? How could I use it in the garden? And how can I make it at home without any special equipment? All these things and more I have learned about in the last [...]

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  • A Look Through My Garden in 2021

    My garden. Each year, I open up my garden to all of you, via the internet. 2021 was an interesting year, both in the garden and elsewhere. In my garden, the heat of summer played a big part in the amount (or lack thereof) of maintenance which I did. I am already changing some of [...]

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  • 2021 Year in Review – Landscape Problems

    Every December, I put together a Year in Review post about things that have happened during the previous 11 months. First up is our annual review of the pests, diseases, and abiotic problems in the landscape. 2021 opened without the services of our arborist and tree trimmer Nick. After conference, it was decided to put [...]

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  • DIY Wreath Making for the Holidays

    After Thanksgiving is over and only a few weeks until Christmas, I like to finish my outdoor decorations off with a few DIY wreaths. After weeks of cleaning out landscapes and gardens, wreathmaking is a welcome break and a time to rekindle my imagination. Even though making a DIY wreath is easy, every wreath comes [...]

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  • Spiders in the Garden

    When I was young, I had a horrifying experience with a spider inside the house. A brown recluse crawled down my face in the bathtub. It took me more than 15 years to get over my fear of spiders, both inside and out. Now though, I love spiders (with the exception of house dwellers and [...]

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  • Best Shade Loving Shrubs for the Garden

    My work as a landscape consultant often puts me in a place where I have to answer questions on which plant to put where. And shade loving shrubs are high on that list. Many home gardeners can easily come up with half a dozen full sun shrubs, but shade loving? No. Here in Northeast Kansas, [...]

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  • Prepping the Landscape for Winter

    If you are like me, you have a large chore sheet for the garden, before winter sets in. Besides my 70 some maintenance customers, I have a large 1 acre (so far) garden to prepare for the cold months. And only about 6 to 8 weeks to do it all. Read on for helpful hints [...]

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  • Creating A Meadow Garden in Your Landscape

    I have mentioned the meadow garden many times now. Why do you think that is? I love the native prairie and the application of prairie into the landscape is not an easy one for most homeowners. But you can create a meadow garden in almost any landscape. The meadow is similar to a glade, in [...]

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  • Sunflowers or Silphiums – Plant Look-A-Likes

    One of the things that comes hard to me is when I am with folk who do not now their sunflowers from their silphiums. Or any plant look-a-likes that may happen. I often get to help lead native plant walks, as well as tour home gardens where look-a-likes occur frequently. But what are silphiums? Because [...]

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