Over the last 8 years, I have been planting and evaluating annual flowers in public and private gardens in Northeast Kansas. While K-State has its Prairie Star flower list, I make my own conclusions based on weather, performance, durability, and pest tolerance. The following annual fl

Its hard to plan your garden for season-long pollinator provisions, but we still try. Early spring months of April and May seem to be the hardest (after March of course), with more trees and shrubs than perennials blooming in the landscape. Perennial gardens are the highlight of most

Butterflies are the flying flowers of the garden. Everyone notices them and everyone loves them. To attract a wider range of butterflies to your garden, you need to have a variety of host plants and nectar plants, and even a variety of ecosystems would be helpful. The best butterfly p

Finding plants for pollinators in springtime can be a bit frustrating. While there are lots of trees and shrubs, not to mention natives, blooming around you, it can be difficult to discover exactly which plant is best suited for your own pollinator paradise. And spring blooming flower

With Kansas Day over and done, we think back to the symbols of our state. What is mightier than the cottonwood, the tree that towers over the Great Plains? The Eastern Cottonwood, Populus deltoides, is the symbol tree of Kansas because of its tough nature and survivability. The cotton

Time to take an in-depth look at tall sedum. Many homeowners and professionals alike call it Autumn Joy Sedum after the popular variety. While this variety does tend to stand out, there are many more varieties of Sedum spectabile (Tall Sedum).  While it is now classified at Hylot

September is here and right around the bend is autumn. September is a month after my own heart, with my birthday and my siblings’ birthdays. We always had a huge party for the three of us, usually on Labor Day weekend. Summer was waning, but their was still a feel of excitement

Summer is far upon us now, and yet the gardens at Grimm’s are at their peak performance. Jeryl Grimm has a walk through her kitchen garden lined with annuals and some perennials for the enjoyment of her family and those who visit her. Around their house, Doug and Jeryl have plan

Frititllary butterflies are one the most common butterflies in spring in Kansas. These showy fliers can be seen flitting among the early summer wildflowers on the prairie and in home landscapes. They are fond of milkweeds and thistles as nectar sources, along with many other native an

Recently, here in Northeast Kansas we were seemingly swarmed by millions of butterflies. Along nearly every road and blacktop surface, butterflies swooped and landed and were struck down by passing cars. No matter how many died, more took their place. I have been asked multiple times

It is that time of year again when we start seeing all the insects popping up in the gardens. From bees to butterflies, caterpillars to beetles, I see a wide range of insects as I check landscapes and plants during the summer maintenance season. Many insects I prefer to leave alone, k

This morning, Doug Grimm brought in the wings of a large moth that he found in the arboretum on one of his walks. With the eyes spots and lines it was not difficult to identify as a Polyphemus moth. After seeing that, my mind began to seek out and find insects hiding in plain sight th