Your home outside the city limits.
It is hard to believe that Christmas is in just a few short weeks. I love decorating for the holidays and many plants are great holiday decorations. Poinsettias Poinsettias are a wonderful plant for the holiday. The traditional poinsettia is red, but newer varieties can be found in white, pink, peach, yellow, and marbled or... Continue Reading →
In the early 1990’s, Joel Barker introduced the concept of a “paradigm shift”. His idea was to gain benefit from looking at a process or existing theme in a different way. His signature theme has many applications for the acreage landscape.
Diseases, insects, drought and age take a toll on windbreak plantings. Planting of all sizes, from a few trees on a city property to miles of trees around a farm, will eventually require tree replacement or renovation. Late fall is a good time to assess your windbreak and order trees for spring planting. Most windbreaks, even those with... Continue Reading →
Nature restores. Taking a walk outdoors after too much time on our many screens—phones, computers, televisions—can go a long ways toward clearing our minds and changing our moods. Last spring when we first experienced the isolation and other constraints of covid, we were heading into spring and were able to get out more. We had... Continue Reading →
This is no April Fool’s joke, pumpkin-on-a-stick is actually the name of a plant. Next summer, this would be a great plant to try, especially if you are trying to get your kids interested in gardening. Stems can be used like bittersweet for fall decorations. So What Is It Really?Also known as mock tomato, pumpkin... Continue Reading →
In spring 2021, many gardeners and landscape managers in eastern Nebraska had severe plant damage to boxwood shrubs. In many cases, entire plants were dead. In others, all branches above the protecting snow line were brown, dried and dead. Although boxwood was not the only type of plant showing damage in spring 2021, why was... Continue Reading →
Bulbs are a balm to the frozen soul after a long Nebraska winter. Those first snowdrops and crocus peeking through last year's old leaves—or through the snow—can't help but put a smile on your face and allow an exhalation of breath: we made it. Cool, fleshy, green-growing leaves coming out of the drab March soil…... Continue Reading →
Winter Protection for Potted Trees and Shrubs Many homes have patios and decks complete with large pots containing shrubs or trees. These containers provide a feeling of permanence and beauty to the area. We see pictures in garden magazines of beautiful winter containers with boxwood, yew, arborvitae or holly in southern gardens. But unfortunately, containerized... Continue Reading →
Do hedge apples really repel insects? They're available in grocery stores now, but do they work? And where does such a strange fruit come from? There are many uniquely curious plants and hedge apple is one. This tree has many names, so depending on where you're from you may know it as hedge-apple, Osage-orange, bodark,... Continue Reading →
If you have a saucer or star magnolia in your landscape, magnolia scale is a troublesome insect to watch out for. An integrated approach is necessary for control, targeting the most vulnerable life stages at specific times of year. Late fall is a good time of year for control, so it’s worth your time now... Continue Reading →
Stem girdling roots (SGR) are serious problems for trees. They slowly kill trees as roots grow in diameter and compress the trunk. Affected trees grow slowly, are often stunted, and are much more susceptible to secondary stressors like drought. They often have scorched leaves when summer conditions are hot and dry. SGR develop when young... Continue Reading →
Planting depth was not recognized as a major tree health problem until recent years. But foresters and nurserymen now know that if a tree's root system is buried too deeply in the soil overall root growth is reduced and tree health, for the rest of that tree's life, is compromised. How do tree production methods contribute... Continue Reading →
Acreage Life - Nebraska 