Bark Bummers This time of year is good and challenging for Midwesterners. The challenging? The weather. Nuff said. The good? It’s a great time to notice potential problems in trees and shrubs in the landscape. At this point in the season, there aren’t any leaves, fruit or flowers (except for a couple species) to…
Month: January 2019
Plan…Plan…Plant!
In carpentry, there is an old adage urging us to measure twice and cut once. The same can be said when it comes to plants. Planning is the least expensive of the plant selection process, simply requiring a little of our time to talk to experts and glean information from catalogs and web sources. I’ve…
Using a Lawn Service…after Snow Removal?
Here in the dead of winter, a valuable service to hire to maintain a residential property is a snow removal company. No more aching back, slipping and falling and shivering in the cold. Of course all of that comes at a price, so you have to determine if it’s worth it. As well, as their…
Is This Plant Dead?
You hear these terms – “the dead of winter” and “dead to the world”, but what do they really mean? In most cases, they’re exaggerations or synonyms for other situations; in this case, really cold weather with no end in sight and really, really tired. In the plant world, the question of “is this plant…
Taking Care of Poinsettias
I had a client call me one September day and asked if it was time to bring her poinsettia into the light. Oh yes and by the way, she mentioned the plant had been stored in the closet for the past nine months. Hmmm… On the positive side of things, I thought it was great…
Winter Water
The weather the past few days in the Omaha Metro area has been fantastic! If you had a chance to get out this past weekend I am sure you saw people taking full advantage of the weather. Many of us went for a walk or took down Christmas decorations on the house. But how many…
Put That Gift Card to Good Use
*Take an inventory of what you have in the garden tool and supplies room. Chances are that you have some fertilizer leftover, but just how much? And what kind? How about essentials such as hand pruners, hoses and fertilizer spreaders? Take a close look – are they in good shape or are there missing/broken parts….