Spring has sprung and cabin fever is high. Not just cabin fever; COVID-19 cabin fever. As we start venturing outside and focus attention on the lawn and landscape, here are some spring lawn care tips to keep in mind:
Category: Weather
The Word is WAIT
If ever there was a year for cabin fever, it’s 2021. In mid-March, all Midwesterners are ready to do something outside in the lawn, landscape, veggie garden, patio…anywhere but inside. Add to that the feelings of enduring COVID-19, and the need to do something outside is almost at a fever pitch.
Rules 3 and 4 of Garden Catalog Shopping
The first two rules of shopping for landscape plants with garden catalogs are centered around needs, much like shopping for groceries. The next two focus on the landscape itself in terms of cold tolerance and disease susceptibility of certain plants.
The 10 Garden Catalog Rules
Most of us hate rules, myself included…so why does the title of this article contain the word “rules”? Actually, they’re not so much “rules” per se, but guidelines to help make the most of the garden catalog perusing experience and application for better outdoor living in the landscape.
Plants & Indoor Air Quality
In the current wave of “houseplant mania”, it’s important to remember that houseplants provide numerous benefits in addition to adding amenity to the indoor landscape. Scott Evans, Horticulture Program Coordinator for Nebraska Extension in Douglas-Sarpy Counties reports that water vapor given off via transpiration is a big plus for the indoors, as well as their capacity to absorb potentially harmful gasses such as formaldehyde, ammonia, bioeffluents and volatile organic compounds.
COVID-19 – Extend Poinsettia Life With Proper Care
The December glory of a poinsettia can fade to January/February paleness in a matter of weeks. Those bright red, white or pink leaves (bracts) can turn limp, curl up and drop, creating a desire to toss it out with the rest of the Christmas leftovers.
Dig and Store Cannas in Fall After Frost/Freeze
Cannas are big robust plants that add wonderful texture and color to the summer landscape. Once Mother Nature sends a couple of hard freezes our way, it’s time to put them to bed for the winter.
Tall Fescue is Not Perfect
It seems like many landowners are jumping on the turf type tall fescue bandwagon, switching from perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass. It’s understandable – the number of problems that these species have caused many homeowners to look for other options. The truth is no turf species is perfect, with resistance to all diseases, insects and…
Cucumber Bitterness
The compound that imparts the bitter taste in cucumbers is cucurbitacin. Wild cucumbers have a large amount of cucurbitacin, which discourages feeding by wild animals and insects. Today’s hybrids have been bred to have lower amounts of cucurbitacin in the fruit and what cucurbitacin is in the plant is concentrated in the roots, leaves, and…
Leaf Scorch
The hot, dry days of July are more than a discomfort to many shade trees. Leaf scorch, which is a non-infectious disease is evident throughout the Midwest. Leaf scorch is first noticed as a yellowing or bronzing of the tissue between the veins or along the margins of leaves. Trees are more susceptible if…