Maintaining A Garden for Butterflies
By now, many of you have planted your butterfly gardens or Monarch Waystations in hope of seeing butterflies feeding—both adults and larvae. It can be difficult for experienced gardeners and landscapers to look upon a garden and see it getting eaten up by caterpillars. However, knowing that these caterpillars are the next generation of butterflies […]
What To Do About Autumn
As the rain beats steadily against the windows of our office, I sit and think about the upcoming season. This is my 6th season as the Maintenance Foreman at Grimm’s Gardens, I look forward to even more to come. Autumn always brings about a relief and dread. I love to see the colors of autumn […]
Hedging in the Now
The widespread use of both formal and informal hedges in American landscapes can be traced back through colonial times and beyond. Formal hedges of boxwood, holly, and yew originate often with the well-known French and English castle gardens. Informal hedges of willow, Rose of Sharon, and lilac were used in colonial days of early America […]
The Faces of Grimm’s Gardens: Andrew Mitchell
Name: Andrew Mitchell Title: Landscape Maintenance Foreman & Horticulturalist On a typical day I… Talk to customers about their plants and landscapes, pull weeds, trim shrubs, take photos, and identify pest problems. My Education Includes: High School: Concordia, KS College: Cloud County Community College Associate in Agriculture College: Kansas State University Bachelor in Horticulture:Landscape Design […]
Late Summer Maintenance Tips
It’s getting to be that time of year again. Everyone thinks that the heat of July and August immediately stops weeds and plants from growing, meaning they need no maintenance. Unfortunately, this is the time when we cut back plants to produce new blooms and buds and keep plants thriving. While September is considered as […]
Spring Clean-Up
The first warm days of spring draw me outside to clean up the yard. As I do so, I am constantly looking for little sprouts of all the bulbs I planted last fall. If you don’t have any bulbs planted, make a mental note to do so next year. The rewards of a fall planting […]
Landscape Maintenance: The Who, Why, What, and When
When friends and neighbors ask me what I do for Grimm’s Gardens, I have a difficult time explaining my job. As the landscape maintenance foreman, I have a job that entails much attention to detail, a vast knowledge of plant life and growth stages, electrical and plumbing maintenance, and a willingness to work in all […]
