Must Have’s – 5 Tools No Gardener Should Be Without

If you didn’t receive everything on your Christmas list, you may want to consider being your own Santa. After all, there are some “gotta have ‘em” in all facets of life. If you want to smoke a pork butt, you need an off-set smoker and some apple wood. If you’re going to garden, there are 5 essential tools:

Winter Protection for Landscape Plants

Winter can be a harsh time for a Nebraska landscape plant. Cold temperatures, winter winds and fluctuations in conditions and cause many of them to be damaged. Fortunately, there are a few steps that can be taken to limit the injury. The specific actions depend largely on the plant involved.

Fall is for Planting…So Plant Something!

Our friends at The Nursery Council say, “Fall is for Planting” – Trees, Shrubs, Bulbs, Lawns and Flowers. Really? You bet. Fall is one of the best times to plant, if not the best. Why? Many reasons.

Summer Pruning of Fruit Trees

There are 2 windows of time that are best for pruning fruit trees. Most fruit tree growers are well aware of the first timeframe, which is late winter. The benefits of pruning at this time include the ease of seeing the flaws without the leaves in the way and close proximity to the point in the season when a healthy tree will naturally close the wounds made when branches are removed.

Got an Ugly Landscape Feature?  Half Hide It!

When you think about it, there are quite a few items that landscapes commonly have that – well…a homeowner would rather not be all that visible to visitors or themselves. They include cable boxes, electrical pad mounted transformers, dog runs and water hydrants.

Trees Damaged by the Blizzard

A terrible blizzard blew through our area last week. It did a lot of damage to many things, including trees. Tree branches broke and trees fell over or broke at the trunk. While some of this damage may have been from wind, the heavy, wet snow may have impacted trees as well. As we dig…

Pruning Broadleaf Shrubs

The month of March and throughout the rest of spring is a good time of year to prune shrubs in the landscape.

Drought Effects on Trees

The drought is continuing across the state of Nebraska. This drought has been going on for over 3 years and we are already seeing problems in our plants. These problems will continue to get worse if we don’t have good precipitation through spring and summer this year. Photo of Drought Stress on a tree above…

2025 Gardening Resolutions

Since January in the Midwest is usually not all that favorable for outdoor activities, we can grab the trowel by the handle and think ahead and backwards. Asking the question, “what didn’t go so well last year?” is a good one to springboard forward, or to borrow from the world of personal finance or fitness, to make new gardening resolutions.

January Gardening Tips & Techniques

January is a month filled with reflections of the previous year and notions of looking ahead. These are great fodder for coffee time with friends where you share notes and observations and also make intentional plans for modifications and improvements.