The Year of Broccoli 

Broccoli hails from the Mediterranean region and has been enjoyed there since Roman times. Other European regions eventually caught on and broccoli was popularized in France as “Italian Asparagus” in about 1650. The English adopted it about 70 years later.  We have been broccoli fans across the US since the 1920s when ice-packed broccoli heads... Continue Reading →

Cacti Care 

Don't be fooled by plastic flowers glued on to these cacti. Image by Sarah Browning, Nebraska Extension. It grates on my gardener’s soul to visit a big box store this time of year and see shelves of cacti each with a flower - in an array of colors - because (spoiler alert) most are glued-on... Continue Reading →

Pruning Hydrangeas

As spring gets closer, questions about how to best maintain our gardens come to mind. A very common question I receive each spring is "How do I prune my hydrangea?"  Pruning HydrangeaNo wonder it’s confusing - there are several hydrangeas species commonly grown by Nebraska gardeners, with a different pruning strategy and timing for each.... Continue Reading →

2023 All-America Selection Vegetable Winners  

Aside from this year’s four national flower winners, All-America Selections (AAS) has chosen three vegetable award winners – two national winners and one heartland regional winner. National awards are given to plants with consistently great performance across the United States. Regional winners showed outstanding performance within a specific section of the county.   All-America Selections... Continue Reading →

2023 All-America Selection Flower Winners 

All-America Selections (AAS) announces four national flower award winners this year. National awards are given to plants with consistently great performance across the United States. To see pictures of these and other great plants visit the All-America Selection website. Coleus ‘Coral Candy’ is a new release from PanAmerican Seed’s Premium Sun coleus series and the first seed-propagated... Continue Reading →

Creating Beauty in the Shade

Many gardeners struggle with their property’s shaded areas. True, turfgrass won’t grow in heavy shade (anywhere with less than 6 hours of direct, full sun), but there are many plants which prefer either partial or even full shade. All it takes is a shift in your landscape vision for shaded areas to go from thin,... Continue Reading →

Care of Holiday Plants 

During the holidays, poinsettias become the decorative plant of choice for many. And many green thumbs who enjoy working with plants are eventually tempted to save a poinsettia after the holidays with the intention of getting it to re-bloom the following year. Christmas cactus and Amaryllis plants also make great houseplants - easy to grow... Continue Reading →

Mistletoe: A Symbol of Love and Peace

One plant irrevocably tied to the holiday season is mistletoe, bringing to mind the image of greenery hung over a doorway in anticipation of a kiss. The white-berried plant we decorate with during the holidays, commonly known as American mistletoe, is one of approximately 1,300 mistletoe species worldwide. All have a very interesting life history, including some... Continue Reading →

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