KC Champion Trees: Trees for the Kansas City Region and Beyond
Over the course of many years, Doug Grimm has been searching out, collecting, sampling, and developing new and native trees for his own corner of the world, here in Northeast Kansas. Though Doug has traveled the world over, he has been searching mostly for trees that can be grown in a very tough climate, Kansas. […]
Stacking the Deck – Heat Loving Perennials for Summer
Its hard to think about the hot, dry summer days of July and August when the temperatures outside are in the teens and twenties. But those days will come as surely as the weather changes in Kansas and Nebraska. We live in one of the harshest growing climates in the United States-it could be minus […]
Harbingers of Spring
The winter months can be trying for any gardener, both old and new. With long, darkened days, frigid temperatures, and snow-covered landscapes, there is sometimes little for the gardener to do. We watch the birds, look through seed catalogs, and read. Looking forward to the first flowers of spring is a wait we can hardly […]
Holiday Traditions
As Thanksgiving comes in, we begin to look forward towards Christmas and New Years, often overlooking Thanksgiving altogether. What does Thanksgiving really mean to most Americans? Since I was little, all I ever heard about was food, football, and family. I agree with the food and family. While I may be caught cheering loudly for […]
What is With All the Butterflies?!
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 what kind of butterfly they are and where did […]
Birds are for the Bugs!
That first sweet bite of peach in the hot July sun, off of your own tree in your own yard, makes you wonder about the truly good things in life. For my family and I it was about a move 3 years ago to where we are now, bringing a plethora of landscape plants and […]
Hawthorns
I have been working as a landscape maintenance professional now for more than 10 years and each year get more exciting. One thing that never changes is how my customers feel about their hawthorn trees. They love them! And I am not surprised at all. Hawthorns in Kansas seem to embody the spirit of strength, […]
Redbuds in Northeast Kansas
The soft creep of green across the landscape has begun here in northeast Kansas. Along with it comes a flush of gentle colors among the trees and shrubs-the fluffy whites of flowering pear, American plum, and old fashioned spirea, the brilliant reds of quince, and the lavender hues of the redbud. Of all these, redbuds […]
Delightful Switchgrass
As far as Kansas native grasses go, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is one of the most recognized and most utilized. Little bluestem is the Kansas state grass, but switchgrass is much more used in landscapes. Switchgrass can be used for screening, specimens, massings, and is even utilized as a crop for the bio-fuel industry. This native […]
