Meet the Pollinators : Spring Flying Butterflies
I have done many a post on attracting insect pollinators, butterfly host plants, and pollinators. But I have not grouped when the pollinators are out. What are the spring flowering pollinators? Which butterflies overwinter as adults in the leaves and landscapes? All this and more I will cover in in this post. Let us meet […]
Flying Flowers and More
But what are flying flowers? When I was growing up, I used to love poring over the photos in Birds & Blooms Magazine, which I read at my Grandma’s house. In the magazine, they had a section called flying flowers, which were photos of butterflies. I learned a lot about butterflies and gardening that way. […]
How To Attract Insect Pollinators to Your Garden
Welcome to the new year! Last season was one of the busiest gardening seasons for many across the country, with many new gardeners. With all those new gardeners, came a plethora of questions about a wide range of gardening topics. I am going to kick off the new year with one of the most important […]
2020 Year in Review – Annual Color
Each year I love doing annual color plantings more and more. In the past, I used to hate annuals, but I have learned how much of an impact and statement they can make. With our ever-changing weather patterns, it can be difficult to choose annuals that will withstand heat, drought, flooding, and cool spells. However, […]
Creating a Butterfly Garden
by Nadine Champlin, Landscape Designer, Owner of Prairie Place Designs, Sabetha, KS Design Consultant for Grimm’s Gardens, Hiawatha, KS Why have a butterfly garden? A Native American legend tells us: “If you have a secret wish, find a butterfly and whisper your wish to it. When you release the butterfly it will carry your wish […]
Beautiful Beneficials: Ambush Bugs
I love to look closely at flowers and plants when I am walking through the landscape. Over the years I have discovered some incredible things and taken some great photos. Each season, I discover new natives and new insects. One of the most interesting, but little thought of insect, is the ambush bug. This little […]
Natives Spotlight: Willowleaf Sunflower
In 2016, I was introduced to a new native sunflower, new to me anyways. Willowleaf sunflower (Helianthus salicifolius), was growing in the prairie ditches on my was to an event in Ft. Scott, KS. Back at Grimm’s, we ordered some ourselves and planted a few plants around the office. Let me tell you, this plant […]
Yarrow for Your Garden
Yarrow is a wonderful addition to any garden. With all the new varieties available, it is not difficult to find one that suits you. Many of the older varieties are nice too. Yarrow is a perennial plant with great foliage texture and blooms that are favored by many pollinators. Because the blooms that we see […]
2019 Perennial Plant of the Year: Stachys ‘Hummelo’
Every year, the Perennial Plant Association promotes a perennial of the year. In the past it has been butterfly milkweed, allium ‘Millenium’, switchgrass ‘Northwind’ and others, since starting the list in 1990. This year, the PPA has selected stachys ‘Hummelo’ as the perennial plant of the year. That is good news for us here in […]
