Rethinking Sweet Autumn Clematis

When we first think about invasive plants, we often conjure images of plants that are not pretty. I often think of the brambles that Maleficent casts around the castle in Sleeping Beauty. Sharp thorns, jagged edges, overall, a barren landscape. Invasive plants are not new. We know that some thistles, leafy spurge, and palmer amaranth…

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Saving for the Future: Seed Saving Tricks and Tips

Many gardeners turn their attention to saving seeds in the fall, hoping to save the best and brightest from this year’s garden to grow in future years. There are definitely some do’s and don’ts that start even before you planted the garden this year. Check out this article I wrote for the Garden Professors blog…

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Black Swallowtails – Caterpillars in the Herb Garden

If you have a flourishing herb garden, you’re bound to get pollinators and pests alike! Learn about the black swallowtail butterfly and why it needs a little bit (or a lot) of tolerance when it comes to sharing your dill, parsley, and fennel.

Plants for Fall Interest

In August, many of our flowers are starting to fade for the year. It also is one of our hotter months of the year and it makes it difficult to do much outdoors. However, there are some great plants that start to reach their stride in August and September. The photo shown is of Illinois…

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Overseeding Your Lawn

According to our garden calendars, fall is time to overseed our cool-season lawns. Homeowners have been asking a lot of good questions:
• Why overseed and how to do it?
• What about the heat, drought, and water restrictions?
Let’s dig in to overseeding—no shovel required.

Turn the Compost Pile

Turn over a new leaf. One good turn deserves another. A turn for the worse. Turn the page. Turn the beat around. Turn to stone. Wait your turn. All common phrases or songs that have found their way into our vernacular. Turning applies to gardening too. About once a month you should turn the compost pile. Once a week would be better, but let’s be realistic.

Fall Gardening

Gardening is so rewarding and so much fun, why not extend it into the fall. Now is a great time to start planting a fall garden. Fall Garden Fall gardening can be more beneficial than spring gardening. Some of our spring crops will actually grow better and produce better under cooler fall weather than they…

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Old But New

Plant breeders have given us some spectacular wonders for our gardens over the years.  We now have beebalm and phlox that are more resistant to powdery mildew. Coneflowers now come in bright bolder colors with sturdier stems.  We even have different Joe-Pye-Weeds that are shorter, more compact and even some like Eupatorium altissimum ‘Prairie Jewel’…

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White-lined Sphinx Moth

The white-lined sphinx moth is a large and beautiful daytime flying moth commonly spotted nectaring on flowers in Nebraska.