Flies in the Garden – Friend or Foe
Flies can be one of the more annoying pests in the house. But there a lot of flies who have beneficial roles in the garden. Some are great pollinators, rivalling bees and beetles, while others are predators of a host of garden pests. The common bottle flies, house flies, stable flies, and smaller fruit flies […]
Heat Loving Perennials
When it comes to summer, you want to have as many heat loving perennials as possible. At least, here in the Central Great Plains, where daytime temps can reach 110 degrees F and nighttime temps may stay in the 80, we do. Of all the 25 heat loving perennials mentioned below, I have 23 in […]
Orange Shades in the Garden
Typically, when you think about flowers, orange is not at the top of the list. But why not? Orange can make a garden feel tropical, adding heat and complexity that the more subdued flower colors lack. Most flowers in the garden are shades of pink, purple, white, or yellow. Blue is another color, like orange, […]
Butterfly Lovers Buffet Plants
Butterfly lovers should plant a variety of plants, from trees and shrubs, to grasses and perennials for butterflies. But what are some of the best plants to attract butterflies, and other pollinators to the garden? How can butterfly lovers plant such a buffet of perennials, grasses, and other plants to attract the widest variety of […]
Medicinal Plants in the Garden
What are medicinal plants? When you think about medicine, what comes to mind first? Probably not plants. But there are a host of plants in the garden which are not only used by the pharmaceutical industry, but are also useful directly by homeowners. Warning: Medicinal plants are both useful and dangerous. This post is meant […]
Powerful Perennials – Top 10
What are powerful perennials? These are perennial flowers that rock the garden each season. They are long blooming, long lasting, long lived, and good for pollinators. Picking a top 10 is the hardest part, because there are a lot of powerful perennials to choose from. What is it that gardeners want in their gardens? Hopefully, […]
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 […]
Sun Groundcovers
Sun groundcovers are great additions to the garden. But is shade groundcovers are used to cover and protect bare soil under trees and structures, wat are sun groundcovers used for? Well, they mainly are used to fill large spaces. Many of our gardens are in large lots, and filling it all with turfgrass seems wasteful. […]
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 […]
