Bearded iris are a staple in the landscape. They offer a burst of color when we need it the most in the spring. Late summer is a great time to rejuvenate your iris beds. Iris spread by underground stems called rhizomes. As they spread they tend to grow on top of neighboring plants. Before you…
Author: Scott Evans
Scott is an Extension Associate and Horticulture Program Coordinator in Douglas-Sarpy Counties. He helps co-coordinate the Extension Master Gardener program for the two county area.
Weed or Flower?
“Is this a weed or a flower?” – one of the most commonly asked questions I get here at the Extension Office. I always answer: is it growing where it supposed to? If not, then it is a weed. A coneflower growing in a bluegrass lawn is a weed and bluegrass growing in a coneflower…
Leaf Lettuce
Summer was hard on our vegetable gardens this year. Two major storms in June followed by searing heat in July. My plants are tired and have slowed down producing. Its time to think about lettuce. Lettuce a cool season crop and what better way to end the summer by planting a few rows. There are…
Checkered White
It’s always a joy to see something new visiting the garden. This past weekend I was out and about in the yard and spotted a new butterfly to me, the Checkered White (Pontia protodice). A handsome butterfly that appears white with brown markings and (to me) a powdery blue body. This was something that I…
Tobacco budworm
The heat of the summer is stressful and this year is no exception. If you planted geraniums or petunias you may have noticed the flowers have gone missing. It would be easy to blame the Japanese beetles for this because they like everything. However, this is not the case. If you take a good…
Satellite Coneflower
Does your purple coneflower look odd? Do the flowers look more green than purple? Do you have satellite flowers growing out of the center of the main bloom? If you answered yes to any of these questions there is a good chance your plant is infected with Aster Yellows. Aster yellows is a caused by…
Now What?
If you are like many of the Metro area readers your landscaped has been attacked by the Japanese beetles. Now what do you do? Plants are stressed and one of the first things we think of doing is “feed” the plant. So we reach for our favorite fertilizer and give our plants a good “feeding”. …
Tigers, Trumpets, Turks Cap – Oh My!
There are hundreds of plants that have the common name lily. I like to refer to plants in the Lilium genus as garden lilies or true lily. These are perennial plants that grow from underground bulbs that can be planted either in the spring or the fall. They are a great addition to any full…
The Rest of the Family
This week the Gesneriad Society will host their National Convention in Omaha. What is a Gesneriad? Well if you have ever grown the lipstick vine, guppy plant, florist gloxinia, flame violet or Cape primrose you have grown a Gesneriad. Oh, yeah – ever grown an African violet – they are one too. Gesneriaceae is a…
Telephone Pole Tree
You will often hear the virtues of proper tree planting depth. Trees that are planted to deep will often fail to thrive, appear stunted and not grow. However, this is not always the case. Many instances when a tree is planted to deep will have no outward signs of stress. How do you know if…