Do you spend the winter months thinking and planning next year’s garden? Are you looking for plant suggestions? Here’s one worthy of your consideration. Lantana, this stellar garden performer, is one tough cookie. Extremely drought tolerant, easy care and no pests or disease problems, makes Luscious® Citrus Blend™ Lantana a must in the garden. Lantana are easy to maintain. Their
Read moreThe Kansas City area has many garden destinations to visit. Click here on Garden Destinations for the list we came up with.
Read moreLooking for a stunning shrub to be a highlight in the winter landscape? Winterberry is a solid contender. Ilex verticillata, commonly called winterberry, is a deciduous holly that is native to North America where it typically occurs in swamps, damp thickets, low woods and along ponds and streams. So she’s a natural for saturated areas in the Midwest like rain
Read morePoinsettia is perhaps the most common plant gift of the Christmas season. It is colorful, traditional and looks like it should be tough to withstand any conditions in the home. Many recipients assume that it will last for months in the home environment. Cared-for properly and the poinsettia will give weeks of color and pleasure to its owner. But, it
Read moreMeet dwarf Fothergilla, Fothergilla gardenii, an attractive three-season deciduous shrub that has been a stalwart performer in my garden for years. From the onset of spring through the conclusion of fall, she never disappoints. In early April the white, bottle-brush blooms appear with honey-like fragrance, and typically last for a couple of weeks. Then are replaced by beautifully textured green
Read moreJewel of the summer garden It seems as though the hot days of summer are behind us, and did you notice the heat-loving crape myrtles shine? Long a beloved staple in southern gardens as large bushes or small trees, crape myrtle has become more popular with zone 6 Midwestern gardeners, and for good reason as this fast growing plant has
Read moreWhen the growing season begins, gardeners eagerly fill garden borders, pathways and containers with colorful annuals. This is, of course, our way to kick-start what will soon be the bonanza of blooms. As spring-blooming trees, shrubs and perennials prepare to present a festival of colors, annuals lead the way. Gardeners put forth the same effort with outdoor gathering places, like
Read morePlant Trees and Shrubs Now Fall is an excellent time to plant new trees and shrubs in the landscape. There are several advantages to fall planting, so take advantage of this season to get a jump on the numerous spring landscape chores. Fall weather with the cooler temperatures and warm soil conditions make plant establishment close to ideal. Even though
Read moreSummertime Green We gardeners can get carried away with always focusing on colorful flowers and foliage. Yes, such is important to a beautiful garden and landscape but don’t forget the GREEN! I find myself enamored with summertime’s green leaves, the sizes and shapes of leaves, and level of translucency in the leaves. Our intense summer sunshine (we’re at the latitude
Read moreBindweed: a noxious weed Like most gardeners I have a strong dislike for weeds. They create more work and rob our plants of much needed nutrients and water. But like many things in life not all weeds are created equally. By that I mean some weeds tend to be more of a pain in the backside than others. Some
Read more