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The First Year: Getting Native Plants Established
The prairie communities we see are diverse and complex. Plants, intricately woven together, crowd out weeds and harmoniously coexist. When you look at a prairie, you only see about 1/3 of the plant....
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After the First Year: Words of Encouragement
Thinking about starting a new garden using native plants is one thing, but putting in the time to get it established is another thing altogether. I was reminded today of the rewards you receive after...
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Landowner Prairie Restoration Spotlight – Carolyn and Terry Schwab
Terry and Carolyn Schwab live on 109 acres in Eastern Harvey County affectionately known by a former neighbor as the “Foothills to the Flint Hills.” While much of the county land has been converted to...
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What to Plant in the Fall?
Fall is often overlooked as a key planting time for a beautiful garden. It’s such a good time to give your plants a little attention before winter sets in. Take advantage of fall’s cooler weather to...
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Controlling Weeds in Buffalograss Lawn Areas
There has been recent renewed interest in establishing buffalograss lawn areas as an alternative to conventional fescue. Buffalograss is a native sod-forming grass species that is well adapted to our...
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Buffalograss Seeding Experiment
Buffalograss gets its name from the “buffalo” that once roamed the Great Plains and foraged on this dense native turf. As a component of the shortgrass prairie, early settlers used sod, held together...
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Bagworms: Pest Spotlight
Bagworms have done tremendous damage this year. Here at the Arboretum, we made multiple applications to our junipers and spruce to get them under control. Thankfully, we have not had to manage...
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Defining Sun Requirements for Native Plants
Knowing how much light a plant needs to thrive should be a simple question, but it is often easily misunderstood. There are so many different descriptions for sun requirements or exposure found on...
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Feeling Edgy
Every good piece of art deserves a good frame. The same goes for gardens! A well-designed, ecologically friendly landscape needs to have borders and edging keeping it in bounds, not only physically,...
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Don’t Bug My Plants
I get a lot of calls and emails that start with “something is eating my plants!” Either frustrated or panicked, most view this development as a bad thing. To their surprise, I usually say...
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Seeding After Disturbance
Dispersal of prairie wildflower seeds after sidewalk construction I’d like to tell you about our late December sidewalk edge prairie seeding after disturbance following the installation of a new...
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From Lawn To Lush
Lawn alternatives are more than just a passing craze. They are a great way to reduce your carbon-footprint and increase pollinator habitat. I am excited to present a class this week on this very...
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Garden Small, Be Intentional
While taking time this weekend to weed the small native plant beds I have dotted around my landscape, I was reminded of the joy this tending process brings me. Not necessarily because I love weeding...
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How to Plant Your Garden Kit
There is no “one way” to landscape with native plants. One person’s dream landscape design might be someone else’s nightmare. Native gardens can be wild and wistful, or organized and formal. As long...
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Weed Profile: Dame’s Rocket
As stewards of our landscapes, we need to be constantly vigilant as we monitor for problematic weeds and invasive species. We have some usual culprits such as bindweed, bermuda grass, Johnson grass...
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Buffalograss Seeding Experiment Update
Last November, I set out to establish buffalograss a different way than I have traditionally done. Normally, I have areas prepared this time of year for buffalograss seeding. May and June are...
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Tree Stress
This spring we have several trees showing signs of stress that are not particularly attractive. Since last fall, something has happened to them. They leafed out late and/or they have some dead...
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Coneflowers: A Lesson in Host Plants
Coneflowers are so emblematic of the prairie. I love to include these prairie denizens in many of my designs. They are quite adaptable and I love the yellows, purples and pink colors of the true...
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Reasons to Leave Ornamental Grasses In Winter
The use of ornamental grasses in the landscape has become more popular than ever, and for good reason. The allure of ornamental grasses is that they are tough and easy to grow. Their resilient nature...
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Last Update on Buffalograss Seeding Experiment
It has been almost a year since our buffalograss seeding experiment began. In this new approach, we planted the buffalograss seeds along with annual ryegrass in the fall or early winter. In theory,...
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