Planting for Pollinators – April and May
For several years now, the trend has been on what to plant for pollinators. This is a two-sided question. What do you think of when planting for pollinators? Do you think about what plants pollinators are attracted to for nectar and pollen, or attracted to as a host plant? We need to think about both […]
Nepeta – June Plant of the Month
Nepeta, also know as catmint, is our June Plant of the Month. Catmint has become one of the most popular perennials over the last 20 years, for many reasons. When I first started as a draftsman in Manhattan, KS, I found that this plant was one of the most used perennials for xeriscaping, or drought-tolerant […]
Plant of the Week: Purple Coneflower
Purple coneflowers are the bloomiest plants in summer, attracting many pollinators. Their tall stems are great for cutting and add height to the garden. Nearing the end of the gardening year, coneflowers are not in bloom, but their seedheads offer a plethora of uses in the garden and home. Echinacea, or coneflower, is native to […]
Plant of the Week: Walker’s Low Catmint
Walker’s Low catmint is our Plant of the Week for this week. Catmint (Nepeta) is a low-growing, perennial that has great qualities in the landscape. I started working with Walker’s Low in 2006 as a landscape designer in Manhattan, KS. We used a lot of low maintenance plants that were very hardy and drought tolerant. […]
2020 Kansas Native Plant of the Year – Baptisia australis
The 2010 Perennial Plant of the Year was Baptisia australis, Blue Wild Indigo. It was also picked to be the 2020 Kansas Native Plant of the Year. It is a great, native perennial for the garden and landscape. Add it into a spot and let it be, it will outlive many other perennials. About Baptisia […]
Kansas Gardener’s Garden June-July
Here is the second part to the garden tour. enjoy the photos and comments! Above you can see my driveway Border Garden. I had to put in this fence to keep visitors from parking too close to the edge of the drop off where the culvert it. I added some of my favorite rustic […]
Plant Profiles: The Peony
Peonies have long been cultivated throughout the world and valued for their durability, fragrance, flower colors, and longevity. Peonies have been used in nearly every American garden since our ancestors set foot on this land. There is a certain air of age and wonder associated with peonies. It is not difficult to go to an […]
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 […]
Cutting Garden Favorites for Mother’s Day
With Mother’s Day coming this weekend I started to think about the different flowers I could put into a floral display for my mother and my wife. My cutting garden is not ready yet, but I can easily find flowers among the other beds. There are not many flowers open for Mother’s Day, but the […]
