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 →
Bring the “Tart” to Your Thanksgiving Table with Rhubarb
Of course, pumpkin and pecan pie reign supreme on many Thanksgiving tables, but fruit pies are often a close second in the pie-popularity race. A personal favorite of mine is rhubarb or strawberry-rhubarb pie. People seem to have either a love or hate relationship with rhubarb, but if you are a rhubarb lover and have... Continue Reading →
Chrysanthemums Brighten Up the Fall Garden
Mums are the stars of the fall perennial garden. They bloom profusely and continue blooming even after frosts have zapped tender annual flowers. They are now available at garden centers in a wide range of colors including white, yellow, orange, bronze, red, purple and pink. “Chrysanthemum” is now a common name for this large group of plants.... Continue Reading →
Summer Watering for Trees
High temperatures and dry conditions have resulted in many lawns turning brown in the last few weeks, but all plants suffer during hot, dry conditions not just lawns. So far, we’ve had 24 days of 90+ degree heat this summer from June 1st to July 24th. Lancaster County had a rain deficit of 0.75 inches... Continue Reading →
Trees, Shrubs and Vines for Sandy, Dry Conditions
When the soil around your home or getaway cabin is less than ideal, you can fight it by planting trees and shrubs that aren't well adapted to the site or select plants that do well in the conditions your landscape provides. Although many locations in Nebraska have clay soil, sandy soil is also very common... Continue Reading →
Little Bluestem the 2022 Perennial Plant of the Year
The Perennial Plant Association (PPA) is a professional horticulture trade organization dedicated to improving the perennial plant industry by providing education to enhance the production, promotion and utilization of perennial plants. The 2022 perennial of the year is little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium, and its’ ornamental cultivars. For those who enjoy the subtle beauty of Nebraska’s native grasses,... Continue Reading →
Shifts – Shifting From This to That
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.
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 →
Dahlia ‘City Lights Purple’ Best of Show
One of the most enjoyable ways for gardeners to get through the dark, cold days of winter is to begin planning next summer’s gardens. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at plants - annuals, perennials, edibles, trees and shrubs – to consider for addition to your gardens this summer. First, we’ll take a look... Continue Reading →