Missouri Evening Primrose – May Plant of the Month
Missouri evening primrose (Oenothera macrocarpa) is our May Plant of the Month for 2025. This native groundcover type plant is one of the best for tough, rocky or dry soils. Native to Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, it grows in a variety of landscape types, but is predominant in the Flint Hills and the […]
Big Perennials for Sun
Sometimes, you need something big in the garden. Usually, gardeners fill large spaces with trees or shrubs. But sometimes that does not work. Say you have a large island bed in the middle of a big open space, and you want color most of the season, but you want it to have the potential to […]
Best Annuals for Pollinators
When we think about pollinators, most gardeners see swaths of perennial flowers in bloom, covered in bees and butterflies. But what are the best annuals for pollinators? Here in the Central Great Plains, I continue to expand my list of best annuals for pollinators. As each season progresses, I track insects coming into my garden, […]
As the Ash Tree Goes – What Are We Losing?
With the introduction of emerald ash borer into the United States in 2002, hundreds of millions of ash trees have been lost. But what else are we losing with the invasion of this pest? Why are ash trees so important to the landscape of the Unites States and Canada. For years now, we here in […]
Blue Wood Phlox – April Plant of the Month
I have chosen one of my favorite early spring bloomers as our April Plant of the Month for 2025. Blue wood phlox is a low growing groundcover which prefers shady areas from around the Kansas River eastward. Its one of my favorites because of its long bloom time and durability in the landscape. As a […]
Biodiversity for Birds, Butterflies, and Bees (And More)
Adding biodiversity to your yard and garden means an increase in all types of life. But what do I mean by “adding biodiversity”?. And what is biodiversity? Biodiversity is defined as the variety of life in a habitat or ecosystem. And you add to it by adding what you life you can. For gardeners this […]
Native Gardening – A Shift In Styles
As we continue into the future, native gardening has become more and more popular. I saw this trend coming years ago, when I was doing my internship in Minnesota. But I could not expect the delay it has taken to get here. Even when I was a kid growing up in the Smoky Hills of […]
Do You Have a Healthy Landscape?
What exactly is a healthy landscape? Well, that term might mean something different to each one of you. But to me, as an ecological horticulturalist, it means how healthy is the landscaping in regards to overall habitat health. There are a number of factors which relate to whether or not a landscape can be deemed […]
Hazelnut – March Plant of the Month
Hazelnut is our 2025 Plant of the Month for March. This native shrub is commonly found in wooded areas on on woodland edges, from the Great Plains eastward. It can be a large shrub, growing 4 to 15 feet tall and can be thicket forming. It is one of our earliest blooming shrubs, starting its […]
