In the language of flowers, Coreopsis means “always cheerful,” and these delightful natives of the Americas live up to this designation in glorious fashion. Equally, at home in naturalized prairie settings or manicured landscapes, Coreopsis provide a lovely sunny presence wherever they make their home. Although typically seen in colors of yellow and gold, many species also contain red, bronze
Read morePurple De Oro Daylily Hemerocallis x ‘Purple De Oro’ Loads of lavender-purple flowers with chartreuse throats rise above a neat, compact foliage clump of slender, green, grass-like leaves. Blooms freely throughout the summer. Easy care color for the front of borders and mass plantings, or for use as a container accent. Tolerant of heat and humidity. An herbaceous perennial. Average
Read moreFew types of plants have seen the rise to stardom that the Calibrachoa has. From the first plants trickling into the US market during the late 1980’s, to the first of the Japanese breeding which arrived as Million Bells® in the early 1990’s, things have exploded. They were such beautiful plants but, at first, they were fairly hard to grow.
Read moreSuperbena are the most vigorous, heat tolerant, and mildew tolerant series. While always great in containers they are also fantastic in landscape beds. They can tolerate dry soils and lower fertility. Normally either an application of slow release fertilizer or amending with compost is enough to keep them happy and blooming in landscape beds. They shouldn’t need to be trimmed
Read moreWhat is Plant A Row for the Hungry? Plant A Row for the Hungry (PAR), is a people-helping-people program aimed at feeding the hungry in communities across the country. Harvesters’ PAR program is a partnership with the Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City. Last year, Harvesters distributed more than 52 million pounds of food, including 17 million pounds of fresh
Read morePlant for Birds, Bees and Butterflies (3B) March feature: Rockin’™ Playin’ the Blues® Salvia longispicata x farinacea Playin’ The Blues™ is a wonderful annual Salvia compact and richly colored it is easy and trouble free. It is sterile so it will not set seed and that means it will just bloom, and bloom and bloom all season without stopping. You
Read moreFor vegetable gardening success, K-State recommended varieties consistently shine Tested in Kansas, for Kansas growing conditions OLATHE, Kan. – K-State Research and Extension has updated its recommendations of vegetable varieties that have consistently proven themselves to be hearty, resistant to drought and disease, while producing good amounts of fruit. These last few weeks of winter are a time of planning
Read moreThe Perennial Plant Association has awarded the title Perennial Plant of the Year® 2018 to Allium ‘Millenium’. This herbaceous perennial, relative to the common onion, is a workhorse of the late summer garden. Bred by Mark McDonough, horticulture researcher from Massachusetts, ‘Millenium’ was introduced through Plant Delights Nursery in 2000 where it has proven itself year after year earning rave
Read moreSummer Emeralds By Tom Schroeder Photos courtesy of Tom Schroeder. Visiting your flowers this summer are the green gems of the native bee world, the Metallic Green Sweat Bees. These harmless, quarter to half inch, bees live out their entire lives in your yard and need your help to survive. They will provide not only pollinating services but beauty and
Read morePlains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) is the Kansas Native Plant Society 2017 Wildflower of the Year (WOY). Plains coreopsis is 2 to 4 feet tall with many yellow and reddish brown terminal flowers blooming June through September. Leaves are divided, narrowly linear and oppositely arranged on the stem. This species is found in damp disturbed areas, roadside ditches and low, sandy
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