Why are raised beds a good option for gardening and why is the old practice of tilling up a spot in your yard bad? Learn a bit about soil structure and health in this rebuttal to an article demonizing raised beds in favor of tillage.
Month: March 2018
Garden Sanitation – Late Winter
The words “garden sanitation” sound kinda funny, at least to me, and also impart a connotation of an assertion that I’m uncleanly. After all who is to say who is clean and who is not? Perhaps the best approach is to remove all thoughts of human sanitation (taking a shower, washing your hands) and…
After the Storm
This week is Severe Weather Preparedness. We often make plans for what to do in worse case situation for families but we often are caught off guard what to do with our trees. Damage done to trees can be from wind, hail, snow/ice, lightning and more. Sometimes the damage is silent and does not appear…
Weed Appreciation Day—In Praise of Dandelions
Weed Appreciation Day is March 28 and in recognition of this important day, I’m writing about the common dandelion. The dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, is a cool season perennial, having some of the first leaves to develop in early spring. Leaves can be used in salads and are high in potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium and vitamins…
Fairy Rings of Turfgrass – A Folktale?
If ever there was a name of a malady of turf that inspires a bit of folly and a lot of frustration, it’s fairy ring. Pertinent to property owners due to this being National Folktale Week, the name was inspired by the “tale” that fairies used to dance in circles above the turf and soon…
Cool Season and Warm Season Vegetables
Cool season vegetables are those that grow best during the cooler growing conditions of spring. In some cases, a light frost will actually enhance their flavor. Cool season vegetables can be planted/sown as soon as the ground can be worked in early to mid April. The really terrific thing about cool season vegetables is that…
Garden Gnome
Garden gnomes. Are they cute or whimsical or just a waste of space? I for one, think they are adorable and should grace any garden. They have been around for centuries some literature date them back to the 1600’s but they didn’t hit mainstream until German 1800’s. Phillip Griebel popularized these mythical creatures in Germany…
Water – Ground and Surface
With a tip of the cap to National Groundwater Awareness Week, the landscape and gardening industry must do their part to prevent groundwater and surface water pollution on the properties we manage. At first, this topic may seem kinda nebulous, almost begging the question of “how does my garden or lawn contribute to water…
Women of Horticulture
In honor of International Women’s Day, which was March 8, I’m blogging today about women in horticulture that I admire. Peg Conley has been and continues to be a Douglas-Sarpy Master Gardener since 1979. Her signature contribution is the gardening knowledge she has imparted to the citizens of Nebraska in her 39 years as a…
Rain Garden Plants
Okay so I’ve been lagging behind getting my blogs out this past month. Getting back into the swing of things this week I wanted to talk about choosing plants for rain gardens. When we think of rain gardens we think of plants that will be submerged all the time like aquatic/pond plants. However, this is…