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Is Your Native Plant Garden For the Birds?
This winter, I have been designing a landscape using native plants for the Northern Flint Hills Audubon Society in Manhattan. This design has been a great experience as I have evaluated the site and...
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Five Benefits of Native Plants
The prairies of the Great Plains are diverse and complex. They are often overlooked and taken for granted. They are subtle in beauty, but resilient. Because of the many benefits the prairie provides...
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Is Your Gumbo Soil Making You Sing the Blues?
Our soil here in Kansas is gumbo. Not the delicious soup, but heavy clay. It is clay all the time and all the time it is clay. I have tried to describe it to others, but it needs to be experienced....
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WARNING: The Monarch Butterfly is Threatened
Monarchs ingest toxic cardiac glycosides when their larvae eat milkweed leaves and advertise through their adult warning coloration: “look out for me…I’m poisonous!” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...
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Water Smart: Steps to Establishing Your New Plants
Now that you have purchased your plants at our FloraKansas plant sale and hopefully gotten them planted in your landscape, you’ll want to be intentional about watering methods. It’s true, native plants...
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Three Lessons I Have Learned About Native Plants
When I started at the arboretum 18 years ago, I thought I knew so much. I had book knowledge about horticulture, but I had not learned much about native plants. In fact, information about native...
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Buffalograss: Five Keys to a Successful Planting
Believe it or not, now is the time to plant buffalograss. It is one of the few native prairie grasses that can be used for low-maintenance lawns and other turf areas. It thrives in our clay soils...
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Six Ways You Can Help the Pollinators
Did you know that this week is National Pollinator Week (June 15 – June 21)? Whether it is with bees, butterflies, birds or beetles, pollinators are extremely important and provide valuable services....
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Where Have All the Conifers Gone?
The Kansas landscape can be stark and lifeless at certain times during the year. In the winter, the hues of brown are seen everywhere from the leafless deciduous trees to the native grasses in the...
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Which Trees Should I Plant in Kansas?
The best time to plant trees and shrubs is in the late fall and early winter before the ground freezes. With proper watering and maintenance, newly established plants will get settled and acclimated to...
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Dos and Don’ts of Autumn Yard Work
Gardening in the fall is different from gardening during the summertime. In my opinion, autumn yard work could barely be called work and borders on fun. The weather is perfect. Cool days with warm...
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Garden Resolutions: Going Green in the New Year
In honor of the new year, you may be promising yourself to eat better, exercise more or take that dream vacation you deserve. But what about your garden? Here are 5 garden resolutions to make your yard...
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Spring Garden Clean Up: Dos and Don’ts
Though we surely still have a few cold days ahead, it is clear that spring is approaching. This warm spell is bringing the birds out singing and I spy little bits of green sprouting in our clumps of...
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Eight Garden Myths Worth Knowing
Over the years, I have come to realize how little I knew about gardening the right way. So much of what I knew as a budding horticulturist was gleaned from school. It wasn’t until I had killed a few...
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Principles of a Sustainable Landscape Design
Through our work in promoting the use of native plants in landscaping, we have observed that homeowners and gardeners are becoming increasingly aware of the positive impacts they can have on the...
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Arboretum Pond FAQ
Spring is a beautiful time to visit the Arboretum, the flowers are blooming and everything is lush and green. Unfortunately, our pond has turned green as well! The warming temperatures make perfect...
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A Weed By Any Other Name
Here at the Dyck Arboretum it can be a tricky task deciding what is a weed to be pulled and what should be allowed to grow on. Many of our beloved volunteers look to me for guidance when they encounter...
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Five Reasons Why Fall is for Planting
I have people ask me all the time at our FloraKansas plant sale if fall is a good time to establish plants. My answer is “Yes, it is a GREAT time to plant!” In fact, it’s a perfect time to plant just...
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More Than Monarchs – All Pollinators Need Our Attention
Milkweed is always a sellout item at our plant sales. The plight of the monarch has caught the public’s attention as few conservation efforts ever have. It is encouraging to see citizens so galvanized...
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Problem Weeds: Best Management Practices
The problem with weeds is that they grow so well. If only the plants I love would flourish like the weeds in my yard do. Weeds can take the fun out of gardening, and during years with so much...
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