One of my most important goals of the 2024 gardening season is to seek out companies that are working hard not only to beautify our environment, but also to protect it. I believe that Embassy Landscape Group, based out of Kansas City, Missouri exemplifies those qualities.
Consider This Instead
The United States covers an area of 3,119,884.69 square miles, has eight distinct physiographic divisions, nine climatically consistent regions and literally hundreds of types of micro-climates. There are over 70,000 different soil types and access to water sources is highly inconsistent, even within a region. Having taught Geography for years; intellectually I realized that eco-systems differed from place to place. What I didn’t consider was how difficult that makes the issue of invasive plants. Simply put, what is invasive in one area, is not in another. And. to make matters even more confusing, as climate continues to change, the make-up of invasive plants in an area will also change.
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It's Tempting, But Please Don't
Purple loosestrife has been a hot topic around here lately…
Is It Dead?
Even after 50 plus years in the horticulture field, I still have a hard time reigning myself in at the first sign of spring. If the sky is blue and the temperatures are in the 70s for a few days in a row, then I convince myself that spring has fully arrived and my entire garden should be springing into life. Inevitably though, when I make my rounds, several of my prized plants are not yet budding out and I panic, convinced that they are dead and need to be IMMEDIATELY replaced.. Before I can do any real harm to the beds, my husband gently removes the shovel from my hands and reassures me that not all plants emerge at the same time – some simply need a warmer soil temperature to wake up from winter’s resting period.
Welcome Back!
In a normal year, if there even is such a thing anymore, I would wait until the end of April to begin preparing for the return of my hummingbirds. After checking this year’s interactive migration map (https://www.hummingbirdcentral.com/hummingbird-migration-spring-2024-map.htm) however, it appears that I don’t have time to wait. Ruby throated hummingbirds, our regional species, have already been spotted across the entire state of Missouri, including a spotting right here on the Katy Trail.
Planting the Perfect Spring Container
Every spring I tell myself that this will be the year that my container plantings will be “knock out gorgeous.” But somehow, what I see in my mind's eye doesn’t come close to the reality of what’s in front of me. They aren’t awful, just amateurish.
Conquering Critters in the Garden
After two very successful seasons of trapping and relocating groundhogs, I thought I had finally conquered my four-footed enemy. Since there had been no sign of him after July, I felt confident that he was gone for good... or at least one season. So, I went ahead and put in my dream spring garden. I planted cabbage and broccoli, spinach and lettuce, bok choy and snow peas, carrots, radishes, onions, potatoes. I even added some marigold seeds to ward off uninvited insects. Bordered with pots of pansies, it was beautiful! I was happy.
Pretty in Pink
My granddaughter and I were browsing through some seed catalogs on Sunday when out of the blue she said “PINK “ in her tone that implies don’t argue with me. “Ok,” I agreed, we can try some pinks this year if you want. They probably won’t do too well with our soil, but maybe we can do a big pot full of them.” “NO! I want to plant all pink flowers this year.” Considering that this child is as “ungirly” as you can get, the demand for only pink threw me, especially since I had my heart set on a burst of vibrant colors this year. But if Holly wants a pink garden, pink it will be!
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