Natives Spotlight: Willowleaf Sunflower
In 2016, I was introduced to a new native sunflower, new to me anyways. Willowleaf sunflower (Helianthus salicifolius), was growing in the prairie ditches on my was to an event in Ft. Scott, KS. Back at Grimm’s, we ordered some ourselves and planted a few plants around the office. Let me tell you, this plant […]
Natives Spotlight: Woolly Verbena
As a member of the Kansas Native Plant Society and the Plant Resources Council, I get the pleasure of helping to choose the native plant of the year for Kansas. We selected Verbena stricta, Woolly Verbena for the 2019 Native Plant of the Year. This verbena is one of my all-time favorite natives, being one […]
Using Alliums in the Garden
Alliums are often referred to as onions. However, there are many members of the allium family, including onions, ornamental onions, walking onions, chives, garlic chives, garlic, leeks, and prairie onions. Today, I will go over ones that are best used in the garden for ornamental interest, excluding giant alliums. Of these, the ornamental onions are […]
Yarrow for Your Garden
Yarrow is a wonderful addition to any garden. With all the new varieties available, it is not difficult to find one that suits you. Many of the older varieties are nice too. Yarrow is a perennial plant with great foliage texture and blooms that are favored by many pollinators. Because the blooms that we see […]
Bluestar for the Garden
Selecting perennials for the garden can be a difficult task given the number of species and the amazing number of cultivars per species. It would be easy to be a collector of certain species, there are over 1200 daylily varieties alone! In several species: echinacea, hosta, iris, peony, dahlia, and others; there may be over […]
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 […]
More Daylilies?
I know it seems crazy to think about adding more daylilies to your garden, but for me, it is not a stretch. Back in 2000 when I first thought about becoming a landscape designer, I constantly studied plant materials and their use in American landscapes. Here is what I noticed: Americans have a love affair […]
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 […]
Small Trees for Small Gardens
There are many small trees that may fit into any sized garden, but are they better in small gardens? Small gardens may be defined as those that are on a small lot in town, or have a small amount of useable space. Or even a garden room that needs a small tree. Small trees fit […]
