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 […]
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 […]
Top 5 Plants for Pollinators – September
September is here and right around the bend is autumn. September is a month after my own heart, with my birthday and my siblings’ birthdays. We always had a huge party for the three of us, usually on Labor Day weekend. Summer was waning, but their was still a feel of excitement in the air […]
Top Plants for Bees/Butterflies: June-July Part II
Welcome back! The glorious Independence Day is over and summer is bearing down upon us. I am always so busy getting things done for the holidays, that I hardly have time to put posts together. The second half of the season has started and we need some flower power to steer us through. The second […]
Top Plants for Bees/Butterflies: June-July
Seems everywhere I go these days I hear about pollinator gardens, bee-friendly plants, and bee gardens. Everyone is finally getting into planting for bees and butterflies and not just to make their home look nice. Although it is easy to do both, have a nice looking landscape and have pollinator friendly gardens. So what pants […]
Catalpas Blooming In Kansas
All across the state of Kansas, catalpa trees are in full bloom. These trees are a marvel of color in the wooded areas, along railroads, and in towns. When the railroads were first being laid across the state, they would plant groves of catalpa, which grow quickly, along the way to provide fuel when coal […]
