Plant Now for Next Year
Why do so many people ask if fall is a good time to plant? If you plant now, in the fall, then you will have much better gardens than planting in the spring. At least, that is how it works for most plants in the Central Great Plains Region of Kansas and Nebraska. Fall is […]
Milkweeds for North American Gardens
Milkweeds are fast becoming one of the most talked about if not grown plants in American gardens. Everyone is joining the effort in adding milkweed in their gardens to help our monarch butterflies. And the monarchs seem to be making a rebound. The 2024 season for the monarch was one of the lowest in 30 […]
Buttonbush – August Plant of the Month
About Buttonbush Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis, is our August plant of the month for 2025. Common throughout the Central Great Plains Region, buttonbush grows east of the high plains of the Great Plains to the Atlantic Coast. It can be found growing wild alongside lakes, rivers, and wetlands, with its feet partly in the water. But […]
Curlycup Gumweed – July Plant of the Month
Our July Plant of the Month for 2025 is Curlycup gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa). You have probably never heard of that eh? Well, this little known perennial native is actually quite common across much of North America. The only place it does not grow is along the Gulf States, except for Texas. It is quite common […]
Edge Plantings
What is the edge? Well, it is the literal edge of the property. In most urban cases, planting along the edge of the property is considered bad form to the neighbor. However, in the rural world having edge plantings means having a separation between you and the neighbors, or a field. My mom’s house sits […]
Wild Plants for Butterflies
Do I mean weeds? Well, yes. There are a variety of wild plants or weeds, which some of our most beautiful butterflies feed on. And if we are growing only tidy gardens, then we may lose out on seeing those butterflies. I am sure there are some new gardeners here, but many of you have […]
Rattlesnake Master – June Plant of the Month
Rattlesnake master is our 2025 June Plant of the Month. This is one of my favorite native perennials, and for many reasons. The first time I came across this species was in the native plant garden at Kansas State University, while I was going to college there. I spent many hours in that garden, watching […]
Attracting Bluebirds
My kids just called me to share interesting facts about bluebirds they just learned. Since we started homeschooling in 2018, my kids have the ability to learn at their own rate, on things in the world around them, not useless facts and figures. And learning about attracting bluebirds is one of those things. There are […]
Moonlight Garden Creation
Humans have a long relationship with the heavens above us. In the evening an through the night, the moon and the stars shine over us like watchful beacons. Many gardeners are obsessed with using them as the light in the garden, thus the creation of moon or moonlight gardens. Experience teaches us that the moon […]
