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“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 →
With winter coming sooner than we want, our trees are starting to go into their dormant state. One tree that tends to confuse people with the manner in which it goes dormant is Bald Cypress. Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum, is a deciduous conifer that has needles that look like most other conifer trees, but looses... Continue Reading →
Winter is a difficult season for roses. Rapid temperature changes, sometimes as much as 20-30° F degrees in 24 hours, is very hard on plants. Unseasonably warm temperatures in January and February, along with repeated freezing and thawing of the soil can do a lot of damage. What can you do this fall to help your roses... Continue Reading →
Planting flowering bulbs is a fall tradition for many gardeners, and there is still plenty of time to get your bulbs in the ground this fall. In eastern Nebraska, bulbs can be planted from late September through the end of October, ideally when soil temperatures are below 60°F degrees. This allows the root system to develop before the ground... Continue Reading →
Garden professionals often talk about sanitation as a way to manage insect and disease problems in a garden or landscape. But what exactly is garden sanitation and how does it help with pest problems? Pest Overwintering Strategies Many disease organisms carry over from one season to the next on infected branches, leaves or fruits. Diseased... Continue Reading →
The brown marmorated stink bug is a nuisance as well as a destructive pest and, like its name implies, puts off a nasty odor when crushed. This nonnative invasive pest has been in Nebraska since 2012. The damage the BMSB causes is from its needle-like mouthpart that punctures, resulting in sunken bruised areas on fruits.... 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 →
At this point in the fall, leaves are probably dropping all over your yard, and blowing in from the neighbors. What to do with all these leaves?
It's been hot! And windy. In unwatered portions of the landscape you may be seeing cracked soil - a good indication conditions are dry. In fall, warm dry days with cool nights usually lead to great fall leaf coloration, but dry fall conditions have a downside, too. Fall is a time for plants to replace the moisture reserves lost... Continue Reading →
Fall Lawn Fertilization Fertilization is a critical step in maintaining a healthy, vigorous turf. Applying nitrogen (N) fertilizer in fall promotes turf recovery, but the type of fertilizer used – quick release vs. slow release - should change based on when your applications are made. Early Fall Fertilization From late August to late September, evapotranspiration, or water loss through the grass leaf surface, is still high.... Continue Reading →
Every summer an unusual type of insect makes an appearance in many landscapes. Actually, there is a small group of insects, called twig girdlers or twig pruners, that cause similar damage in a variety of trees. But fortunately, these insects are not a serious problem and their activity doesn't have serious consequences for the trees. But... Continue Reading →
Viruses represent some of the toughest diseases to manage in cucumber, squash, pumpkin, and melon plants. Often the disease doesn’t kill but does reduce the size and number of leaves, which in turn decreases fruit production. Cucumber mosaic, cucumber green mottle mosaic, watermelon mosaic, zucchini yellow mosaic, and squash mosaic are some of the viruses... Continue Reading →
