Articles by Bob Henrickson: Dividing Perennials / Decorate Your Christmas Tree Naturally / Beatrice High School Arboretum Student and Community Involvement / Dried Flowers for Winter Crafts / Woody Floral Plants Brighten Outdoor Containers / Field Notes: Dwarf Chinkapin Oak / Field Notes: Liatris punctata / Fine-textured Perennials Can Take the Heat / Gardening with Prairie Plants / Grasses that Deserve More Attention / Herbs for the Landscape / Leadplant—A Garden-worthy Prairie Pioneer / Native Fruiting Trees & Shrubs for Wildlife / Oaks for Nebraska & Surrounding Great Plains / Outstanding Ornamental Grasses / The Pawpaw—North America’s Largest Native Edible Fruit / The Shagbark Hickory—A Flavor unlike Any Other / GreatPlantsTM for Curbside Gardens / Prairie Plants Used on the Plains / Prairie Plants for Rain Gardens / Growing Trees with RootMaker® Containers and Grow Bags / From the Ground up / Growing Woody Cuts / Recommended Hardy Perennials for Xeriscaping in Nebraska

The three main reasons for dividing perennials are to control the size of the plants, to help rejuvenate them, and to increase their number. Dividing and replanting keeps rapidly spreading perennials under control. Dividing will rejuvenate old plants, keeping them vigorous and blooming freely. Dividing perennials is an easy and inexpensive way to gain additional plants for your garden or to share

Articles by Bob Henrickson: Dividing Perennials / Decorate Your Christmas Tree Naturally / Beatrice High School Arboretum Student and Community Involvement / Dried Flowers for Winter Crafts / Woody Floral Plants Brighten Outdoor Containers / Field Notes: Dwarf Chinkapin Oak / Field Notes: Liatris punctata / Fine-textured Perennials Can Take the Heat / Gardening with Prairie Plants / Grasses that Deserve More Attention / Herbs for the Landscape / Leadplant—A Garden-worthy Prairie Pioneer / Native Fruiting Trees & Shrubs for Wildlife / Oaks for Nebraska & Surrounding Great Plains / Outstanding Ornamental Grasses / The Pawpaw—North America’s Largest Native Edible Fruit / The Shagbark Hickory—A Flavor unlike Any Other / GreatPlantsTM for Curbside Gardens / Prairie Plants Used on the Plains / Prairie Plants for Rain Gardens / Growing Trees with RootMaker® Containers and Grow Bags / From the Ground up / Growing Woody Cuts / Recommended Hardy Perennials for Xeriscaping in Nebraska

The three main reasons for dividing perennials are to control the size of the plants, to help rejuvenate them, and to increase their number. Dividing and replanting keeps rapidly spreading perennials under control. Dividing will rejuvenate old plants, keeping them vigorous and blooming freely. Dividing perennials is an easy and inexpensive way to gain additional plants for your garden or to share

The Mighty Oak

I have a test I administer, in secret and in silence, to traveling companions along a stretch of road in southeast Nebraska. It is not a test of knowledge,or of character, but of timbre

TREES FOR WESTERN NEBRASKA

The following species are recommended for areas in the western half of Nebraska and/or typically receive less than 20” of moisture per year

The Seed

Not that long ago most Nebraska communities were full of large American elms. Their tall, arching habit, fast growth and adaptability to a wide range of soil conditions made them a popular choice for planting in towns from Falls City to Chadron and all points in between. Because of its wide-spreading habit, American elm was especially popular for planting along streets. Often the canopies of individual trees met over the middle of the street, creating a ceiling of green that would sometimes stretch for blocks at a time. Unfortunately Dutch elm disease raced across the state in the 1960s and 70s and, in what now seems like the blink of an eye, the elms were gone. And they have been sorely missed

The Seed

Water—the giver of life, so preciously scarce and yet sometimes so abundant. As I write this in August 2008, much of Nebraska has seen above average rainfall for the year. At my home in Waverly, over 24” of rain has fallen since April 1st. That is nearly 6” above average. After several years of below average precipitation, that is a nice change of pace! Things are lush and green like we haven’t seen in years (although for the last several weeks we have been in a typical late-summer dry pattern). When it rains it pours and in some places of the Midwest, there was way too much rain. Just ask our neighbors to the east in Iowa who suffered devastating flooding from the spring and early summer rains

The Mighty Oak

I have a test I administer, in secret and in silence, to traveling companions along a stretch of road in southeast Nebraska. It is not a test of knowledge,or of character, but of timbre

The Seed

When it comes to managing our planted landscapes, we humans seem to prefer working against Mother Nature. Where she would provide a diverse mix of flora and fauna, we prefer trying to carpet the ground with a monoculture of lawn and then sprinkle a few colorful (and often foreign) trees, shrubs and other plants here and there as accents. We like to think that we’re in control, that we’ve created some- thing static and beautiful, but in reality we are regularly doing battle against natural processes and in many ways against our own best interests. We’ve come to accept near-constant mowing and trimming, regular use of pesticides to kill unintended plants and insects, lots of irrigation to keep things green, leaf blowing and sidewalk edging for even more tidiness and the regular removal of grass clippings, leaves and other plant residue to the landfill—necessitating a regular use of fertilizers to maintain soil fertility

The Seed

In our increasingly urbanized environment, our connection to the outdoors, wildlife and the sources of food that sustain us can grow more distant. One fruitful and fun way to strengthen that connection to the outdoors is to create an “edible land- scape” by adding food-producing plants to conventional residential or acreage landscapes. Edible landscapes can be just as attractive as ornamental landscapes, combining fruit and nut trees, vegetables, herbs, edible flowers or berry bushes in aesthetically pleasing designs

The Seed

Too often, groundcovers are not considered when new landscape plantings are installed. Traditionally, the soil surface of new planting beds that incorporate trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials is covered with a 2-3” layer of organic mulch. The organic mulch helps to conserve moisture, control weeds and give the landscape a uniform, finished look. However, it usually takes a number of years before the plants mature, prompting a yearly top-dressing of mulch to keep the open areas covered. This yearly addition of mulch can be relatively expensive and excessive mulch can build up on the soil. It can also be a lot of work to mulch between plants. The dense carpet of leaves, intertwining stems and abundant roots of living mulch can function in many of the same ways as traditional mulches. Moreover, the constant growing, dying and breakdown of living mulch will help build a healthy nutrient rich soil over time