2021 All-America Selection Vegetable Winners

For 2021, All-America Selections (AAS) announces three vegetable award winners – ‘Crème Brulee’ echalion, ‘Pot-apeno’ pepper and ‘Goldilocks’ squash. To see pictures of these and other great plants visit the All-American Selection website. Eschalion 'Creme Brulee', image from All-America Selections. Echalion ‘Crème Brulee’. An echalion, also called a banana shallot, differs from standard shallots by having an elongated 4-5” bulb, which is easy to peel and cut. ‘Crème Brulee’... Continue Reading →

0

Spring Freeze Damage in Home Landscapes

Unseasonably warm, mid-70 to nearly 90-degree temperatures in early April lured trees, shrubs and perennials out of dormancy. Many trees and shrubs have been blooming for the last two weeks, only to be threatened by normal late April frosts.   April 14-15, Lincoln nighttime temperatures dip to 27°F and 26°F degrees, respectively.  April 19-22, had nighttime temperatures of 31°F, 32°F, 29°F and 23°F degrees, respectively.      Gardeners always have concerns... Continue Reading →

0

Spring Preemergence Weed Control Applications

Many homeowners are wondering about this year’s first spring preemergence (PRE) herbicide and fertilizer application. Here are some tips to help you sort out the best products and strategies for your lawn.   PRE Herbicide Residual PRE herbicides act by killing germinating weed seedlings, which come in contact with the herbicide as they grow their first... Continue Reading →

0

Early Season Disease Control in the Home Orchard

Fruit trees are blooming, or will soon be, marking the beginning of another growing season. Many diseases become active during blooming, so it’s time to protect your trees and ensure a good harvest. Brown Rot After harvesting, gardeners are often disappointed to find their apricot, peach, cherry or plum fruits quickly develop a soft fuzzy brown rot. This is caused by a very common... Continue Reading →

0

Get Your Shrub Roses Ready for Another Growing Season

Now is the time to prepare your roses for another growing season. Many gardeners are hesitant to prune landscape roses, fearing they will do something wrong and damage or kill the plants. However, pruning provides several benefits including: Improved flower quality.Improved plant health through increased air movement around and through plant foliage.Maintains plant shape and size so that it... Continue Reading →

0

2021- The Year of Perennial Hibiscus

So far this spring we’ve looked at the National Garden Bureau Plant of the Year categories for annual (sunflowers), perennial (monarda) and vegetable (garden beans). The last one we’ll discuss is the “shrub” of the year, which really isn’t a shrub – at least not in Nebraska. It does have woody stems, but they die down to... Continue Reading →

0

Gardening in the Time of Covid

(Written spring 2020) You know that feeling. That glorious feeling of running your hands through the dirt. Feeling the earth connect with your body. Nature and you. Happiness and peace of mind overtake you as you shake off the cares and strife.      It’s not just connecting with nature gardening gives you. It is the feeling... Continue Reading →

0

Lawn Tips for Late Winter

Wow, it’s great to see the sun, feel the warmth and lose the heaps of snow in my front yard! Although 70 plus degrees in early March could result in problems later this spring, if plants come out of dormancy too soon. But, since there isn’t a great deal we can do about the weather, let’s... Continue Reading →

0

2020- The Year of Monarda

Monarda is a genus that has a long history of being used as a medicinal herb. As the common name Bee Balm implies, it has also been used to soothe bee stings.  But did you know the Oswego Indian tribe used this plant to make an herbal tea and they taught the early American settlers how... Continue Reading →

0

Healthy Soil, Healthy Plants

Most gardeners are aware that soil preparation is important in a new landscape with poor or compacted soil, but when spring fever hits it’s easy to start planting as soon as the weather warms up. Putting in the time to ready your soil makes a big impact, though, and will make a difference in the... Continue Reading →

2

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑