Spring Tree and Shrub Planting

On the Heels of Arbor Day – May is a great time to plant trees and shrubs.  Once the site has been analyzed for adequate room and the purpose of the tree has been identified (shade, fruit, screening, color), it’s time to focus on getting the roots in the ground. First Things First First, dig…

Seven Sons in Fall

In the fall, there are just simply fewer landscape plants that offer great appeal. Sure, goldenrod, asters, plumbago, turtlehead, sedums and mums should be a part of just about any landscape, but the ratio of spring and summer bloomers is probably about 3:1 or even more. For that reason, let’s highlight one more fall appealing plant – the Seven Sons tree/flower/shrub.

Euonymous, Anyone?

In this case, you might want the shrub or vine, euonymous, but not the common euonymous scale insects that often infest them. In fact, in some landscapes, the scale infestations are so common that budding horticulturists and entomologists often think that the symptoms and signs are a natural occurrence, as in “they’re supposed to be there”.

Watering New Trees and Shrubs

Many new trees and shrubs are planted in April, May and June. By far, the two most important considerations are implementing the proper techniques for planting and watering.

Outstanding Shrubs for Winter Interest

Evergreen shrubs offer greatly needed color and texture in the midst of winter, but deciduous shrubs should not be overlooked; many provide strong winter appeal as well. By choosing shrubs for their exceptional form, structure or bark, beauty and color can be added to the winter landscape as well as year-round appeal. Here are just a few shrubs that feature amenity in both the dormant and growing season.

Pruning Planning for 2021

Pruning is like a lot of other things in life – it needs to be planned beforehand, you should do it only when needed, not too much at a time, and the right way.

Watering in Late Fall

If you want to see healthy outdoor plants in the spring, it’s important to water them in late fall.

Deadheading

No, this is not an article on the trials, exhilarations and tribulations of The Grateful Dead.  It’s about dead flowers.  Dead flowers should be removed from annuals, perennials, bulbs and shrubs as soon as possible to prevent seeds from forming.  As far as the plant is concerned aka if the plant had a mind with…

Spring Flowering Shrubs – Now and Then

One of the true joys of the well-balanced, diversified landscape are the spring flowering and summer flowering shrubs.  Now is the time when we can enjoy the spring flowering shrubs such as  dogwood, viburnum, lilac, cotoneaster and forsythia.  The good part is that there are many cultivars or varieties of these spring blooming species to…

Shrub Pruning – For Some Shrubs

It’s late March and if you’re like most Nebraskans who tend to their landscape, you’ve been looking out the window all winter and wondering if it is time to prune the shrubs.  It might be…depending on the shrub.  This handy chart will steer you in the right direction.   Prune Now: privet, burning bush, spirea,…