Your home outside the city limits.
For 2023, the National Garden Bureau’s shrub of the year is Spirea, which unfortunately often gets overlooked during the spring buying-rush as old-fashioned and uninteresting. In reality, spireas are tough, easy-to-grow shrubs and a workhorse in modern landscapes. Spireas offer a wide range of colorful foliage ranging from blue to yellow, red to orange,... Continue Reading →
Lancaster County ended 2022 under very dry conditions – approximately 11 inches below normal rainfall. Dry conditions continued throughout winter bringing us into spring with the entire state still experiencing drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Lancaster county is currently classified with “severe drought” conditions. To find the drought conditions for your location at... Continue Reading →
After waiting all winter for a new growing season to start, when spring finally does arrive it seems to hit us hard and fast. Then before we know it, spring is gone and we’re in the middle of summer. There are many tasks to accomplish in the spring landscape. To help you develop a plan... Continue Reading →
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 →
Evergreens, both trees and shrubs, enliven the winter landscape, providing form, texture and color during a time when our landscapes are sparse. If your landscape is too bare and brown right now but you don't have room for a new tree, consider the addition of evergreen shrubs – there are many great options from which... Continue Reading →
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 →
Woody floral plants include any woody plant species having colorful or unusually shaped stems, buds, flowers, fruits or leaves. They are given the name "woody florals" because they are often sold to florists for use in flower arrangements. But they also bring interest and color to the home landscape or can be used in home... Continue Reading →
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 →
The common lilac is a tough, reliable shrub that may reach a height of 15-20 feet. Plants begin forming flower buds in fall, which overwinter, then bloom in late spring, which makes pruning a challenge since most woody plants are pruned during the dormant season. How and when should plants be pruned to keep them... Continue Reading →
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 →
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.
If there ever was a year to try your hand at forcing flowering branches, this is it. Yes, this year, spring can come early to your acreage; best of all inside your home. How is this possible? Easy.
Acreage Life - Nebraska 