Top Annuals for Northeast Kansas Gardens
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 flowers are the best for Northeast Kansas gardens, in 8 […]
Best Pollinator Perennials for April-May
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 gardens through the summer months; it is […]
15 Host Plants for Butterflies
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 populations are going to be common […]
Spring Pollinator Plants
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 flowers for the garden can be difficult to come […]
Consider the Cottonwood
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 cottonwood grows where it should not, survives […]
Tall Sedum – A Pollinator’s Dream Plant
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 Hylotelephium spectabile, many nurseries and people will likely […]
Top 5 Plants for Pollinators – September
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 in the air […]
A Stroll Through Jeryl’s Garden
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 planted many trees, shrubs, perennials, […]
Fritillary Butterflies
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 and introduced flowers. Here are the types seen in […]
