It is not unusual for some plants to blossom out of season. Magnolia, crabapple, lilac, and forsythia are notably spring-blooming plants, but stressful growing conditions can instigate a type of dormancy that pushes flowering to later in the season. Lilacs are a great example this year. To better understand why this happens, it is helpful…
Category: extreme weather
Winter Damage and Herbicide Drift
Winter Damage February’s deep cold separated the marginally hardy plants from those that weathered the winter without problems. The lower portions of stems of some trees and shrubs, protected by the snow, flowered as usual and are sending out new leaves. Unfortunately, the portions of plants not protected by snow remain lifeless or are slow…
September Weather Patterns Predict Early Freeze, Deepening Drought
The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center has some startling news for September 12 through the 15th—a cold front moving through the central Great Plains region will bring falling temperatures, with a moderate risk of these temperatures being below freezing. How far temperatures fall is dependent on just how cold the cold front is and…
Prioritize, then Water Efficiently
In the past few weeks, Mother Nature has not brought much in the way of natural rainfall to many parts of Nebraska.
Freeze Damage to Spruce
Many spruce trees in the area are looking rough. Beyond the usual injury from spruce spider mites and Rhizosphaera needle cast, spruce trees have serious dieback, not only individual branches but in some cases, the top has died. Drooping clusters of brown needles and streaks of white sap on branches and trunk indicate freeze injury….
Salty Snow & Slush Damage
As snow and ice are cleared from the driveway and sidewalk, there may be more than frozen water in the shovel. No one likes to slip and fall on the concrete, which is why applying ice melt products is a routine procedure in winter. Unfortunately, many homeowners get carried away and over-apply it. How much…
Pruning Hydrangeas
In the realm of gardening questions, answering “When can I prune my hydrangea?” can be the most complicated. This is because of the number of hydrangea types that grow in this region, requiring an understanding on our part before the pruning saw is even employed. It’s important to note that pruning most woody plants in…
Landscape Journaling
Landscape journaling, the art and science of keeping track of plants and gardens in the landscape, may seem like a fluffy idea, but the task has merit. Are you having your ash trees treated every other year to prevent an infestation of emerald ash borer? A landscape journal can be a record of when and…
Tree Troubles – Nonspecific Symptoms
Fir and spruce trees are known for providing beauty and function in Nebraska. Unfortunately, they’re also known for being hard to diagnose when troubles arise. With most trees and shrubs, specific symptoms are present when they are ailing from insects, diseases and abiotic maladies. That’s most trees and shrubs. Not so much with fir…
Mulch and Hot Weather
Mulch is an aspect of the landscape that doesn’t provoke much thought. Wood chips or rock? Landscaping fabric or not? The reality is that the right kind of mulch, applied to the proper depth, has a BIG impact on plant health, especially during the heat of summer. Root function stops when soil temperatures reach…