Lightly shaded areas receive 3-5 hours of direct sun per day
Right Plant, Right Place – Match plants with their preferred growing site
Insect and Disease Control for Organic Vegetable Gardeners
Pest control - insects, diseases and weeds - are challenging for the home organic vegetable gardener. Today we’ll focus on techniques for insect and disease control. Organic gardens may have a higher level of insect and disease damage. Decide how much damage can be tolerated as a threshold for determining when control is needed. Pest Prevention Start... Continue Reading →
2021 All-America Selection Flower Winners
All-America Selections (AAS) announces three flower award winners – ‘Profusion Red Yellow Bicolor’ zinnia, ‘Kelos Candela Pink’ celosia and ‘Sweet Daisy Birdy’ shasta daisy. To see pictures of these and other great plants visit the All-America Selection website, www.all-americaselections.org. Zinnia 'Profusion Red Yellow Bicolor'. New and older flowers create a beautiful mix of colors. Zinnia ‘Profusion Red Yellow Bicolor’ – This is the newest entry in the popular Profusion series, which features... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
2021- The Year of Sunflowers
This year the National Garden Bureau features the sunflower as its annual flower of the year. Sunflowers originated in the Americas and domestic seeds dating back to 2100 BC have been found in Mexico. Native Americans grew sunflowers as a crop, and explorers eventually brought the flowers to Europe in the 1500s. Over the next few centuries, sunflowers became... Continue Reading →
Wildflowers & Grasses – Conservation Plantings for Native Insects and Wildlife
Conservation plantings of wildflowers and grasses may range in size from a few plants in a home garden, to extensive plantings on a farm or acreage. Usually these plantings are intended to create habitat for butterflies, pollinators, birds or other wildlife. But if the planting isn’t well-maintained, it’s benefits and beauty many decrease over time. ... Continue Reading →
Success With Houseplants – Fertilization
As with overwatering, over fertilization is a common problem, so an important step in winter houseplant care is understanding whether your plant needs fertilization. Houseplants, like most other plants, need fertilizer containing three major plant nutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). The amount and frequency of fertilizer required depends on the type of... Continue Reading →
Using LED Lights for Houseplants and Transplants
A major challenge for good growth of houseplants indoors, particularly in winter, is poor light. Most homes are just too dark for plants to grow well in winter, especially those plants requiring high light. Signs your plants are not getting enough light are small leaves, long thin stems, failure of blooming plants to flower... Continue Reading →
Gifts for Gardeners – Books to Grow a Green Thumb
Looking for a book to give the gardener in your family this holiday season? Here are some of my favorites. One of my favorite gardening books is “The Well-Tended Perennial Garden” by Tracy DiSabato-Aust, first published in 1998. The most recent 3rd edition was published in 2017. I like this book because it’s written by a professional gardener... Continue Reading →
