Your home outside the city limits.
Perhaps no tree better symbolizes the spirit of the Great Plains than the bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa). Its thick, corky bark enabled it to withstand wildfire, making it one of the most prominent and long-lived species of the Midwest prairie region. Bur oak has a wide geographic range growing from Texas to North Dakota... Continue Reading →
If having control of your landscape is a thing you want (or have—is that possible?), this article probably isn’t for you. But if, like many of us, you’ve given up on control and simply enjoy whatever blossoms come your way, here’s a few plants that offer serendipity through the seasons. There are many woodland “ephemerals”... Continue Reading →
Most weeds love bare ground, and new plantings offer this in bounty. Here are some tips to help you prevent undesirable plants from getting a foothold in years one and two. Start a routine. The growing season gets busy, and it can be tempting to leave weeds for “next week.” However, if “next week” turns... Continue Reading →
National Wildflower Week is celebrated the first full week of May, which makes sense for Texas where the event was first promoted by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. However, in Nebraska May is often laced with cold and snow and few wildflowers are yet blooming, thus wildflower week is not celebrated here... Continue Reading →
“If every plant and flower were found in all places, the charm of locality would not exist. Everything varies, and that gives the interest.” Richard Jefferies Karma Larsen There’s no doubt about it, there are some difficult ornamental plants out there. Usually we’re referring to plants that are hard to get established, too tall, short-lived... Continue Reading →
Justin Evertson Trees are almost universally appreciated by people across the globe. Although we don’t always treat them well, there just seems to be something about them that we find interesting and comforting. That’s at least partly because of the incredible range of shapes, forms and colors they come in and also because of the... Continue Reading →
“Recipes, instruction manuals, last testaments: by making seeds the plant condenses itself, or at least everything it knows, into a form compact and durable enough to survive winter, a tightly sealed bottle of genetic memory dropped onto the ocean of the future.” Michael Pollan For gardeners who grow their plants from seed, seeds are... Continue Reading →
It can be a challenge to have a yard that’s perfect for you as well as for your dog. The primary goals are often at odds… a place to run and dig versus the somewhat fragile beauty of seasonal plants. But with a little bit of thoughtful planning, there are ways to accommodate both. Like... Continue Reading →
We do a lot of preparation for the visitors we’ll see over the holidays but since some of our favorite visitors are birds, they deserve some preparation as well. It’s not the season for planting of course, but there are plenty of things you can do now and some of the preferred plants listed below... Continue Reading →
“A garden that didn't change and grow wouldn't be a garden at all." Ken Druse How did your garden become what it is today? Is it just as you planned it and imagined it to be? Did it happen just like that, with all of it coming together in one year or one growing season?... Continue Reading →
Some of the largest planted and managed landscapes in our communities are cemeteries. Though they’re not used for recreation or other large—or even small—public events, they’re historical, necessary and deeply valuable both personally and community-wide. Even more, they have to continue into the future and in some cases are already centuries old. They are extremely... Continue Reading →
Bob Henrickson, Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, plantnebraska.org Many gardeners plant “everlastings,” flowers and herbs that maintain their color and form when dried, specifically with the idea of using them in craft projects. Included in wreaths or other displays, they extend the beauty of summer’s bloom. There are many plants that hold their shape and color well,... Continue Reading →
