Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
Planting Nebraska for healthy people, vibrant communities and a resilient environment
A Beginning Gardener’s
Perspective
I am relatively new to gardening. As a child I
“helped” my parents in their garden. They had a
wonderful, diverse garden where we were able to play,
explore and practice using our green thumbs.
They were ahead of the curve too, as they spent
those years removing more and more of the lawn and
replacing it with a bounty of beautiful plants.
SowhenInallyhadayardandgardenofmy
own to work on, I dug right in. That’s when I realized
that what I remember of helping my parents in the
garden must have really only been about 10 percent
of the actual work. Is it my fault that swinging is so
fun? Anyway, I had a lot of work to do. So, from one
beginning gardener to another, here are my tips.
O SPACE.TherstthingIdidwasordera
Bloom Box (shameless plug), which is a program
of NSA that recently won a national award for
excellence. I received easy to care for, pollinator
approved, regionally native plants perfect for my soil
type and the amount of light in the intended plot. Then
I planted everything way too close together and lost
half the plants simply because they didn’t have room
to grow. I like a crowded garden (less weeding) but do
pay attention to how much space your plants need. The
Bloom Box instructions told me how much space to
use, but I eyeballed it and found out that I am not good
at estimating space. So keep space in mind, especially
when you’re planting small plants that will grow to be
big plants.
OBLOOM TIME. Y’all, I’m in this for
theblooms.Ilikeprettyowers.Iknowsome
The
Seed
2021
Inside:
Trees in Landscapes
New Garden Beds
Sustainable Lawns
Children’s Spaces
City Trees
Landscape Tips A-Z
Sustainable Landscape Design
people don’t care about this one, but I love
having blooming plants in my garden as often
as possible, especially if I can cut them and
bring them inside. I wish I had paid attention to
bloom times when I started my garden. I am now
four years in and have started to even things out,
but I could use a few more summer- and fall-blooming
plants. If you like to see the blooms, make sure to mix
plantstogetherthatbloomatdierenttimesofthe
year so you always have something to catch your eye.
OEDGES. This is a new one for me. I didn’t
think I would care about clean edges, but I do. This
spring and summer I’ve been working to clean up the
edges of my garden. This has included adding some
stone edging to create an actual barrier between the
garden and other spaces. It has also included adding
plantsthathelpdenetheedge.Smallplantsthatoer
somedenitionhavehelpedmehaveawildgarden
that doesn’t look out of control. Don’t get me wrong, I
lovewildgardenstoo,butIndgardenswithanedge
a little easier to maintain. In some areas it has also
helped prevent the topsoil from washing away in less-
established areas during heavy spring rains. A win all
around.
Overall gardening is about doing what
makes you happy. These are the things that I
think would have improved my early gardening
experiences,butgardeningisnotaone-size-ts-
all hobby. Get out there, get your hands dirty and
try things out. Also, keep up with us on social
media and our print and emailed newsletters to
receive the latest gardening tips year-round.
We’ll see you in the garden!
Hanna Pinneo, NSA Interim Executive Director
Placing & Caring for Trees
Trees anchor plantings and provide shade
and shelter for shrubs and smaller plants.
A street-lined path or an exposed one?
It makes a difference.
2
Trees are generally the longest-lived
plants in our landscapes. Those that are
well-selected and cared for can span
generations and live for decades. Which
is a VERY good thing since large grow-
ing trees are the “Superheroes” of the
landscape, providing an incredible array
of economic, social and environmental
benetsthatarehardtobeat.Afewwell-
placed trees for example could increase a
property’s value by more than 10 percent
and can help reduce annual utility costs
treemendously (yes treemendously!),
all while providing years of stormwater
capture, wildlife habitat, climbing oppor-
tunities, backyard retreating and sylvan
beauty. As such, trees deserve careful
consideration for how we select and locate
them in the landscape.
Here are some suggestions to help
think about what trees to plant and where
to plant them, admittedly coming from
someone who very much likes to be
around trees.
1. Don’t rush the decision. It’s not
uncommon for people to lament placing
a certain tree in a given location realizing
that as it grew it hid the picture window or
blockedtracviewsorshadedthegarden
or didn’t shade the patio or struggled in a
wet spot or was in danger of falling on the
house.
2. Thinkfunctionrst.Resisttheurge
to select shade trees primarily for their or-
namental characteristics. Remember that
springowersandfallcolorsareeeting
and you’ll need to live with the tree the
other 50 weeks of the year. It’s most im-
portant that the trees we select be structur-
ally sound, long-lived, wildlife-friendly,
climate tolerant and environmentally
appropriate.
3. Know the tree and how it grows.
Speciesvarysignicantlyfromeach
other. Bur oaks can grow quite wide,
while shingle oaks are more upright and
lindens have low, sweeping branches as
they mature. Remember also that it’s our
native trees that are generally the most
climate-adaptedandwhichoerthebest
habitat for wildlife. Be aware that many
non-native species such as ornamental
pear, goldenraintree, tree-of-heaven and
others are invasive and shouldn’t be plant-
ed. However, there are several non-native
species that can help expand the palette of
choice in our area. Do some research and/
or ask a tree species expert.
4. Canopy vs Screen. Generally, de-
ciduous trees will provide canopy shade,
while conifers are better for screening and
wind protection. Shade trees make more
sense in the middle of the property, while
conifers are better at the edges. But keep
in mind that most conifers are at home
in the mountains or cooler climates and
there is an ever-growing list of problems
with many of our conifers, including pines
and spruce. Although they’re nearby,
Nebraska is not the Rocky Mountains and
I would resist the urge to try to mimic a
mountain look.
5. Siting for shade. The best locations
for shade near a house are on the south
and southwest sides where the summer
sun will be most intense. However, shade
is also important near porches, patios,
decks and other places people gather. If
planting near a house or structure, choose
species with strong branch structure and
storm resistance. Oaks are especially good
for that. Conversely, beware of species
with notorious storm damage potential,
like silver maple and hackberry. Near the
house is also often a good place to tuck
in smaller ornamental trees like redbud,
serviceberry, some crabapples and orna-
mental maples.
6. Know the soil, know the site. Know
your soil before planting. Is it irrigated
and wet? Is it excessively dry? Is it a
Windbreaks originally were planted as
monocultures, but more diverse plantings are
ultimately far more resistant and sustainable.
mucky clay soil or something with better
drainage? Is it sterile and possibly in need
of organic matter? (The best soils for
trees are rich with decomposing organic
matter.)Thesethingsmattersignicantly.
Take advantage of drainage ways or wet
areas to plant more wet-tolerant species
such as red maple, bald cypress, alder,
larch and sycamore. And keep in mind
that irrigated lawns are often over-watered
and more trees die from over-watering
than under-watering.
7. Speaking of lawn. If you want
better tree health and longevity, keep
in mind that many lawn-care activities
work against this. Overwatering, herbi-
cide damage and mower damage are all
very common where trees are placed in
high-maintenance lawns. One of the best
things we can do for our trees is to relax
on lawn care. It matters!
8. Trees as anchors. Think of trees as
anchors for other plants like shrubs and
groundcovers. And as trees mature, they
provide protection for a wide variety of
shade-adapted plants that can help make
a landscape more visually dynamic and
easier to care for.
9. Plant trees close together. One of the
most common misconceptions of people
is that large-growing shade trees need to
be spaced wide apart. Just look at a forest
andyou’llseetheanitytreeshavefor
growing close to each other. This close-
ness increases their ability to withstand
storms, which is important in our wind-
swept region.
10. Massing and separation from turf-
grass. Try not to scatter trees individually,
but instead plant trees in groups and in
association with other plants such as
shrubs, perennials and groundcovers.
Massing trees and other plants together
helps create islands with many mutual
benetsincludingreducedconictswith
lawn care (mowing, trimming, irrigation,
etc.); greater resistance to weather events;
better soil health; better drought-toler-
ance; fewer disease and insect problems;
and better aesthetics.
11. Windbreaks should be more diverse
and should include deciduous species.
Most windbreaks in our region have been
planted to just a few types of evergreens,
which reduces their resiliency to diseas-
es, insects and storms. In addition, many
evergreens are struggling from a warming
climate and planting them tightly together
often speeds up disease pressure. Wind-
breaks should include deciduous species
to help improve diversity and resiliency.
Several oak and viburnum species hold
their leaves well into the winter, making
them a good choice for winter wind pro-
tection.
12. Plant a diversity but don’t plant one
of everything. It’s important to strive for
broad species diversity across a large
property, neighborhood or community.
However, too many disparate shapes and
colorscanlookclutteredando-putting.
Trytobalancethebenetsofdiversity
with the value of repetition. Planting in
groupsofthreesandvesisagoodruleof
thumb.
13. Some evergreens become nice shade
trees over time. Generally, evergreens
are planted to achieve a relatively solid
vertical mass. However, some pines
and junipers are self-pruning of lower
branches and become decent canopy trees
in time, an especially important consid-
eration for western Nebraska. Ponderosa
pine is particularly good in this regard.
14. Beware of power lines and potential
utilityconicts.Theyexistalloverour
communities.
15. Be a good neighbor. When planting
at the edge of a property, make sure your
neighbor is on board, especially with
anything that might extend into their yard.
Remember that they have the lawful right
to prune anything overhanging their prop-
erty.
Justin Evertson, Green Infrastructure
Coordinator
Tallest rst. Trees have quite an impact on the
landscape, so plant them rst.
A Few Resources
for Sustainable
Landscapes
Backyard Farmer, byf.unl.edu
Garden Design Guide, plantnebraska.
org/garden-design-guide
Missouri Botanical Garden Plant
Finder, missouribotanicalgarden.
org/plantnder/
plantndersearch.aspx
Native & Recommended Plants,
plantnebraska.org/your-yard/
what-to-plant.html
Nebraska Extension Publications &
Resources, extension.unl.edu
Omaha Plants, omahaplants.org
USDA Plants, https://plants.usda.
gov/home
WildowerCenter,LadyBird
Johnson,wildower.org
4
Creating a completely new gar-
den from scratch can be daunting but it
can also be exciting and rewarding—a
chance to create something totally new
and unique that didn’t exist before. When
preparing a new planting site, the key is
to plan ahead and give yourself time to
work. Rushed garden prep leads to ex-
hausted gardeners, skipped soil work and
weeds or turfgrass left in the soil to cause
problems after planting.
Start by outlining the area you want
to plant with a hose, rope, rocks or other
moveable markers so you can adjust as
you envision what the new garden will
looklike.Onceyou’resatisedwith
theshapeandsize,mowortrimoany
existing turfgrass or weeds as close to the
A new bed (garden, that is)
ground as possible and decide whether to
use herbicide or a chemical-free method
of removal.
Most chemical-free methods of
garden prep need at least 6-8 weeks to be
eective.Solarizingwithclearplasticor
smotheringwithcardboardismosteec-
tive over the summer. Cover the ground
in mid to late spring and leave it covered
through the summer heat for planting that
fall or the following spring. Herbicide can
speed the process up but plan on at least
two applications (follow label instruc-
tions) plus a week after the last applica-
tion to let it work.
The fastest way to prepare a site is
to physically remove the turf. While this
methodisfastandeective,youcanplant
immediately but it’s labor intensive and
willrequiretopsoiltorellthehole.
After clearing the site, use a spade to
roughly loosen the soil… leaving large
chunks is okay. Avoid using mechanical
tillers unless you have extremely hard soil
and are adding a large amount of compost.
They often mask compaction issues by
loosening the top few inches but creating
a hard pan layer underneath.
Now is the time to make adjustments
if you need to level things out or want
to raise the bed above the existing grade
(ground level). Use at least 50 percent
topsoiltobuildupthegradeorllin
holes since compost alone will decompose
over time and sink back down. When
you’re happy with the grading, add 2-4
inches of compost on top of the soil. You
can plant into the new compost or allow
the soil to rest over winter and let the
freeze/thaw action work the compost in
and loosen the soil. If you’re not planting
immediately, cover the soil with wood-
chips, leaves, grass clippings or (weed-
free) straw to prevent weeds from taking
hold before the new plants are added.
Latefallisagreattimetoworkon
soil that needs improving. It is cooler, dry-
er and the weather is more dependable for
big projects. Preparing your soil in the fall
means you’ll be ready to plant in spring
without interruption from spring rains.
Sarah Buckley, Program Coordinator
Hoses work well for marking out new
garden beds.
Use a sharp spade to loosen the soil.
No need to overdo it, a few clumps are ne.
Smothering grass and weeds over the summer
works well to get rid of weeds and turf to
prepare for planting in fall or the following
spring. Covering them with clear plastic is the
best for killing weed seed, but any material will
work over time.
Starting a New Perennial Bed
n To start a new bed on existing turf,
smotheritrstwithupto4-6”ofatop-
soil/compost mix to kill the grass. Allow
2-3 weeks before planting so digging
the holes is easier. Better yet, create new
planting beds in the fall and plant them in
the spring.
n Working in 2-3” of good compost is
helpful to any perennial bed for reducing
compaction, improving drainage and
adding nutrients.
n For plants that need good drainage,
the bed should resemble the crown of a
road where heavy rains drain away to the
sides rather than puddling in the middle.
n Perennials are more appealing both
visually and for attracting pollinators
when there’s multiples of the same type of
plant.
n Many perennials will grow in a broad
range of conditions, but it’s best to group
perennials with similar growing require-
ments in terms of moisture, drainage and
sunlight.
n Planting grasses adjacent to and
amongoweringperennialsgivesthe
bed more structure, softens the transition
between showy perennials and adds more
year-round interest.
n After planting, putting down a light
layer of wood chips, grass clippings,
straw, leaves or a “green mulch” of low-
er-lying plants will help conserve water,
discourage weeds and moderate extreme
temperatures. A light layer of 1-2” of
mulch is ideal. If the mulch is too deep,
water can’t penetrate the mulch and too
deep a layer can cause root rot and oxygen
deprivation.
n Don’t pile too much mulch around
main stems; keep it a couple of inches
away, and no more than 3” deep to guard
against crown rot and discourage slugs
and rodents. Excessive mulch can also
cause plants to root into the mulch rather
than the soil.
n Mulch also reduces sunlight which
many annual weeds need in order to ger-
minate.
n It’s best to remove weeds early before
they become too problematic. Hand-pull
youngweedsoruseascuehoewitha
triangular-shaped blade. Using a back and
forth push/pull motion cuts roots below
the mulch layer and soil surface. In addi-
tion to visible weeds, this motion removes
seedlings which have not yet emerged.
n After planting, water every other day
for two weeks, depending on rainfall,
wind and temperature. If temperatures are
in the 90s you may need to water once a
day. Frequency is more important than
duration for new plants which don’t need
a huge volume of water to get established
but do need consistent moisture.
n Nursery plants are best established
by watering them individually rather than
saturating a large area. Though they’re no
longerconnedtoalittleplasticpot,their
rootsystemisstillconnedtothatsame
small space. Watering individual plants
will also reduce new weeds from germi-
nating in the open spaces between them.
n For small plants, you can use a wa-
tering can or wand or dip several cups per
plant from a large bucket.
n For newly planted large potted plants
or balled and burlapped trees, a 5-gal-
lon bucket of water per tree per week is
Getting New Plants Established
sucient.(Note:Thissoundslikealot
of water, but for big trees a good amount
like this will remove any air pockets
andassuressucientwaterasthetree
is getting established. It’s much better to
have a known amount than to leave a hose
running for 20 minutes and potentially
drown the tree.)
n A half inch of rain
usually lasts about 3-4 days.
n After plants have been
in the soil for two weeks,
they should only need
watering once a week,
or 2-3 times per week if
temperatures are in the 90s.
A weekly watering should
besucientfortherestof
the growing season.
Both articles on this page by
Bob Henrickson, Horticulture
Program Coordinator
Planting ornamental grasses among
perennials gives more year-round
structure and interest to the planting.
Regular watering of new plants is essential.
Sustainable Lawn Care
6
The blazing summer heat in Nebraska
is enough to make you wonder if your
cool-season lawn is worth all the trou-
ble. You may have spent a good part of
the spring season reseeding, fertilizing,
mowing frequently and employing several
methods of weed control. Now you’re
afraid if you miss one watering session
allyoureortstoachieveyourideallawn
will have been a waste.
As the most demanding and expen-
sive part of the landscape, lawns can
certainly be a challenge. Yet there are op-
tions, basically two keys to reducing your
load—and your stress. Follow these steps
and you’ll also save some cash and create
a more sustainable lawn, for you and the
environment.
Therstkeyistorealistically
re-evaluateyourexpectationsandredene
your “ideal” lawn. Maybe it’s not worth
the struggle to compete with the neighbor
to have the “best” lawn on the block. By
the way, that “best” lawn may be over-wa-
tered, over-fertilized, shallow-rooted and
highly vulnerable to challenges from
insects, disease and weather extremes. An
important fact to remember is that a lawn
can be all of the following: lower-mainte-
nance, healthy and attractive.
A good starting point is to reconsider
the demanding goal of monoculture of
turf in your lawn. Many homeowners are
returning to the old standard that allows
some diversity, such as clover, to coexist
with turfgrass. This diversity increases
benecialorganismsanddecreasespest
and disease problems, as well as the need
for herbicides.
Also consider allowing summer
dormancy, the natural hot weather re-
sponse of cool-season grasses. Fescue and
bluegrass can survive with just occasional
water in the summer, and still be healthy
and look great in the fall. Or better yet, if
you have full sun areas, give warm-season
grassessuchasbualograssatry.Buf-
falograss, with its attractive bluish green
color, thrives in the heat of summer with
little or no fertilizer and supplemental wa-
ter after establishment. Also, its maximum
height is only 6”, so mowing frequency is
greatly reduced.
Another variable to evaluate is the
size of your lawn. If the only time a foot
touches your lawn is when it’s being
maintained, then it would likely make
sense to have less of it. Consider con-
verting some of it to beds with low-main-
tenance shrubs, perennials and/or orna-
mental grasses, especially natives. On an
acreage simply allow select areas to go
“wild,” equating to very low maintenance.
The second key is to manage your
lawn properly—not necessarily as your
neighbor or Uncle Dave does. All lawn
management actions are inter-connected
andeachactionhasadominoeect—
good or bad. For example the common
mistake of mowing too short results in
more weed germination, hotter and drier
soil and increased stress on the turf. The
following management steps all work
together to make the other steps easier and
moreeective.
Watering
n Water early in the day to reduce evap-
oration loss and disease potential.
n Water deeply and infrequently, using
adoublecyclemethodifrunoisan
issue.
n Water only as needed—avoiding the
“set and forget” approach. The needs of
the lawn vary along with our dramatic
weather shifts, so adjust frequency and
duration accordingly.
n Check automatic sprinkler systems
regularlytoensureecientoperation,
with proper pressure and pattern, rain
sensor, no broken heads, etc.
Mowing
n Mow high, which results in a deeper
root system, moisture conservation,
reduction of weed germination and crown
shading.
n Keep mower blades sharp to reduce
injury stress and disease potential.
n Mow as needed (more in spring, less
in summer), not on a preset schedule.
n Recycle clippings to reduce water
loss, reduce soil temperature and return
nutrients to the soil.
Fertilizing
n Lawnsarefrequentlyover-fertilized,
with many negative consequences. Too
much means more mowing, higher water
demand and increased disease potential.
n Fertilizerrunoisalsoasignicant
pollutant in our streams and lakes.
n Fertilize a couple of times a year
at the proper rate, primarily in the fall,
for a healthy turf without excessive leaf
growth.
Weeds, Insects, Diseases
n All of these problems are greatly re-
duced by following the guidelines above.
n Control remaining weeds by pulling
or with spot-spraying.
n Generally, preventative insect and
disease controls are not warranted. Grubs
prefer, and do the most damage to, poorly
managed (shallow-rooted, over-watered
and over-fertilized) turf.
Kendall Weyers, Sustainable Communities
Coordinator
A patch of buffalograss at the edges of this
lawn makes it more interesting and reduces
mowing.
Trees are wild things. No, seriously.
They have evolved and adapted to lots
ofdierentclimatesandsharethose
ecosystems with all other life on this
planet. There are very few places on Earth
where life exists without woody plants.
Before plants adapted woody growth, the
wholeplantkingdomwasconnedtothe
warm and relatively mild parts of Earth.
Even after expanding all over the globe,
only a handful of those ecosystems do a
decent job of mimicking the long list of
stress factors for trees growing in the city.
A rocky environment with low-fertility
soils, periodic rain downpours, frigid
winters and abundant browsing animals
could adequately prepare a tree for life in
the city, but most nursery trees have not
evolved in those conditions.
Urban environments are manmade
and relatively new on the planet. So, for
all the conversation around using more
nativetrees(whichisascientically
sound and very worthwhile goal), there
really aren’t any trees native to an urban
context. We haven’t been building
cities long enough for tree genetics
toeectivelyadapttothesetough
conditions, but we’ve had plenty of time
to observe their performance and select
for genetic traits that are more resilient in
urban contexts.
But we still want trees in our cities,
and for many good reasons. Aside from
thecommonlyknownbenetsthattrees
oer,researchshowsthatpeoplespend
more time and money in business districts
with tree canopy. People recover from
hospital stays more quickly and use less
pain medication simply from having a
view of green space from their room.
Trees have even been shown to reduce
some types of opportunistic crime.
When we take a tree that is adapted to
growing in a forest with lots of other trees
close by and we plant it as an individual
along the street or in the front yard, it will
growverydierently.Lowerbranches
that would be shaded out by other trees
now get lots of sunlight and are able to
continue to do the work they were grown
for over a longer time period. The tall
straight trunks of forest trees develop
multiple leaders with weak branch
attachments when they aren’t crowded
together in a forest. This means that
arborists are needed to guide the structure
Cities—Where No Trees Are Native
of trees in order to
prevent the weak
structure that they
often develop in urban
environments.
How do we
do that? The tip of
every branch on a
tree has a terminal
bud that regulates
the distribution of
hormones throughout
the tree. Among
other functions, these
hormones dictate
stem elongation,
dormancy, and where
the tree sends energy
for more growth.
By removing some
number of buds from
dierentpartsofthe
tree, we can not only
reduce the length and
weight of branches
to reduce the chance
that they will break
but also reduce the
future growth rate of
that branch (a process
called subordination).
By subordinating
branches with weak
attachments, we encourage the tree to
allocate energy for growth to parts of the
tree that we want to be dominant.
The idea is not to force all trees
into a forest form with tall and straight
trunks and few small lower branches.
Competent, experienced arborists know
the body language of trees and use that
information to identify warning signs of
potential future problems that they can
prevent now. When we see bark inclusion,
codominant leaders, poor branch
spacing and other issues in our client’s
trees, we can use the concept of branch
subordination to reduce the chances of
them calling later to clean up a tree that
has lost large limbs in a storm.
In arboriculture, an ounce of
prevention is truly worth a pound of cure
when it comes to the wild things we plant
in our communities.
Graham Herbst, Community Forester
Specialist
The environment surrounding trees in the city
is very different from their native environment.
8
At the Nebraska Statewide
Arboretum, we like to challenge gardeners
toappreciatedierentaesthetics;from
waterwise gardens to prairie landscapes
to where the wild things really are—
children’s gardens. Planting for children
is an opportunity to add some fun to the
garden but it can be hard to adjust your
expectations; it will most likely look
nothing like what you would design for
yourself.
I’m not talking about educational
gardens that are designed to teach
speciclessonslikeplantidentication
or curriculum-based lesson plans.
Teaching gardens are important but so are
exploratory spaces where children can
learn through free play. The great thing
about mother nature is that she already
has a lesson plan; all you need to do is
provide the space and allow them the
freedom to explore.
Children’s Spaces—
where the wild things grow
Childrenviewtheworlddierently
than adults and nicely laid out plants in a
well-weeded garden bed are unlikely to
hold much appeal for imaginative play.
Thisspaceshouldgenerallytintoyour
yard or campus without being an eyesore
but beyond that, try to hand over the reins
as much as possible. If you have older
children, let them choose some of the
plants (even if the colors totally clash or
you would never plant them yourself).
That’s a lot of no’s...
What IS a children’s garden?
 It’s full of interesting elements to
explore, plants and other materials with a
variety of shapes, colors, textures, smells
and tastes (with adult supervision).
 Don’t forget the logs and rocks!
 Itwon’tlook“nished”;someweeds
are okay, the mulch isn’t perfect, and
there’s open dirt to dig in.
 Theelementsareexibleand,with
some imagination, can be used in a variety
of ways.
 Dirt is key. There’s room to dig, drive
cars, organize rocks, etc.
 Kids love to collect so there are
plentyofseeds,berriesorfunkyowers
to gather.
Think like a kid
If you need help thinking like a kid
again, start with a loose theme:
 Designate an area where the plants
are for touching and picking to save your
favoriteplantsfromlittlengers.Uselots
of bright colors and fun textures to lure
them away from your carefully planted
pots. Babies can lay on a blanket and
explore with their toes.
 Create a mud kitchen with old pots,
bowls and utensils. It might include a
hand-me-down kitchen set or you can
leave them to build their own from found
materials.
 “Play-scape” around your sandbox,
water table, car track, etc. to make it a part
of a larger space.
Little hands love to touch and squish!
Plant Ideas
 Funowers:rattlesnakemaster,
bright colored annuals, prairie smoke,
balloonower,allium
 Fun seeds: sideoats grama, bottle-
brush sedge, baptisia, milkweed, penste-
mon
 Interesting smells: mountain mint,
hyssop, beebalm, geranium, marigold,
lemon grass, herbs
 Interestingtextures:coneower,sage,
blueax,sunowers,henandchicks,
grasses
 Edible: herbs, alpine strawberry, cur-
rants, juneberry, wild plum (it’s important
that kids understand not to eat anything
thathasn’tbeenidentiedbutproviding
known foods in their safe play space can
give them something familiar to collect
and taste)
Sarah Buckley, Program Coordinator
One of the best things a garden can offer is
the freedom to touch and explore.
Sedges around a sandbox are tough enough
to stand up to toddler feet and make a fun
jungle for cars to explore.
Continued on next page
Justin Evertson,
Green Infrastructure
Coordinator
“Make room for a bit of a wild area in
your yard where you don’t fuss about
the weeds as much. The rough edges are
where some of the best biodiversity and
sustainability takes place.”
Hanna Pinneo, Nebraska
Statewide Arboretum
Interim Executive
Director
“Putting a rain gauge where you’re
watering with a sprinkler gives you a
more accurate idea of how much you’re
watering. It’s especially helpful with trees
that don’t normally show their lack of
water until later. And for new gardeners:
Good, sturdy tools are worth the money
but stick to the basics like pruners,
trowels, rakes, good shovels, etc. And
remember that anything that seems too
good to be true almost always is.”
Bob Henrickson.
Horticulture Program
Coordinator
“No matter the site, it’s always a great
plan to do some soil amending to break
up compaction and add organic matter to
make sure your new plants are in well-
drained soil… and it makes planting
sooooo much easier.”
Lucinda Mays, Chadron
State College Arboretum
Curator
“To freshen the look of your landscape
right now and on into autumn:
First – to garden like a pro, round
up a tarp. Any garden cleanup gets
tossed onto the tarp as you work, giving
you a beautifully groomed result the
minute you haul the tarp away.
Second – pay attention to edges of
beds and lawns. If the edges are well-kept,
the rest of the landscape looks well-kept,
too.
Finally – tackle one small task at
a time (unless you have a crew!). Do
onesmalltask,nishitup,sweepup
after yourself, and enjoy the immediate
improvement you have made.
Here’s a list of easy-to-accomplish
tasks that add up to a well-tended late
summer and autumn landscape. Most take
just a few minutes.
Shear back bedding plants (like
petunias)toencouragere-bloom.Takeo
about a third of the plant.
Add slow release fertilizer to beds
and pots of annuals, perennials and
ornamentalgrasses.Lookforgranulated
fertilizer formulated to last three months
in the landscape. An organic option is to
side-dress the plants with a half inch layer
of compost.
Brighten up your entryway with
a large container (at least the size of a
5-gallon bucket) planted with newly
purchased annuals, fall-blooming
perennials and grasses. Put bricks in the
bottom of the pot to keep it from blowing
over.
If your planted containers are
drying out each day, give them a deep
watering around 12-1pm instead of
watering twice a day. Use a shallow pan
undereachpottocatchruno.
Add mineral supplements
(not fertilizer) to trees and shrubs.
Pelletized agricultural sulfur from a
farm store and chelated iron from a
garden center are good additions to
alkaline soils (common to western
Nebraska). Sulfur and chelated iron will
slowly and steadily improve foliage color
Landscape Tips
from A to Z
Tips continued from previous page
10
on yellowing trees and shrubs. Follow
package instructions for how much to
apply.
Raise the deck on your lawn
mower to its highest setting. Taller
grass blades shade grass roots, thereby
using less water, and give the lawn a lush
look.
Cut a sharp and shallow edge
in turf along beds, sidewalks and
driveways. Get best results from using
aat-bladedspadeorshareorrent
a powered edger with friends and
neighbors.
Usealetosharpenspadesand
shovels. A well-sharpened spade slices
through roots rather than pushing through
them with blunt force. A good all-purpose
leisan8-10”single-cutbastardlewith
ahandle.Single-cutmeanstheleteeth
go only in a single direction, and bastard
means medium roughness of the teeth on
thele.Plusit’sfuntosay.
Cut suckers that arise from tree roots.
Don’t spray the suckers with herbicide;
thatwillaectthetreeaswellasthe
suckers.
Whoa, Nellie! Wait until March and
April to prune anything else green from
your trees and shrubs. It’s ok for the tree
if you cut out dead wood at any time.
Put down a 4” layer of wood chips or
pine needle mulch around trees and
shrubs. Keep the mulch away from the
trunk but otherwise even in depth all the
way to the edge of the mulched area,
giving a tidier edge where the mulch
meets the lawn.
Choose a favorite color of paint
to mark the handles of small, easy to
misplace hand tools.
You can garden like a pro – just
remember to use a tarp, pay attention to
edges and tackle small seasonal tasks one
at a time.”
Graham Herbst,
Community Forester
Specialist
“My garden doesn’t look great this year,
but I am really glad I used logs to line my
path so I can mulch it deeply and reduce
weed pressure. Did I pull a few borage
before taking these pictures. Yes.
Mulch is a good thing, but I like to
plan for the mulched spaces to disappear
asperennialplantsllinthespace.
Nature abhors a vacuum, so if you don’t
llyourgardenbedswithplantsyoulove,
other plants will do it for you.”
Bob Feurer, Retired
Science Teacher and
Curator at the Franklin-
Cotterell Greens
Arboretum in North Bend
“My best tip is the Hula-hoe or stirrup
hoe. Great for ordinary weeding in the
garden or for wood-chipped beds. It
pulls through the plant roots and lets the
woodchips glide through the opening
above the blade with minimum disruption
of chip cover, and reaches in under shrubs
to get those pesky
hiding ones. By
far the most-used
hoe I own.”
Sarah Buckley, Program
Coordinator
“Whenyou’replantingwildowers,go
light on the mulch and avoid areas where
snow gets piled in the winter. My happiest
wildowersaregrowingonaslight
mound with a very thin layer of mulch, in
the backyard where we don’t use any ice
melt or salt.”
Alan Roesler, Park
Supervisor & City
Forester for the City of
Kearney
“I think most of us know about the
benetsofmulchfortrees,shrubs,
perennials and other plantings. It can
probablybeusedmosteectivelyin
massed beds and, especially for young
trees, it can prevent damage from mowers
and string trimmers. It also cuts down
on the woody plants’ competition with
turfinthetop6”orsoofthesoilprole,
stabilizes temperature extremes, inhibits
weed seeds’ germination, conserves
moisture and, if done correctly, enhances
aesthetics as well.
Further regarding the aesthetics, the
real‘tip’isaboutcolors.Firsto,tryto
avoid shiny-new, freshly ground wood
products (like ground up pallets) which
may be the cheapest mulch to purchase
but are high in carbon content and low in
nitrogen so it can draw nitrogen from the
soil and upset the soil’s carbon/nitrogen
balance to the detriment of plants. As for
other colors, personally I like natural-
looking mulch that lets the plants be the
visual focus. Why? Because red fades to
pink; black gets too hot and fades to gray;
and dark brown fades to natural brown—
so why not just start there?
Ifyoucanndlocallysourcedmulch
made from whole branches and trees, the
‘stringy’ parts will help knit it all together
and stay in place better during our famous
wind and ‘frog-drowner’ rainstorms.
Natural, locally sourced ground-up wood
waste is also more sustainable, accessible
and usually cheaper or even free at
landlls.”
Karma Larsen,
Communications
Associate
“For composting, keep it simple. It
doesn’t require a complicated system. Just
digaholesomewhereoutofsight,llit
with kitchen waste, add some water and
cover it back up with soil; moisture and
worms will break it down within weeks.
Trench composting is much faster than
dry, aboveground methods.”
Chrissy Land, Community
Forester Specialist
“Use pre-emergence anywhere you can
to help reduce your management load
later in the season. It works by dissolving
at the surface and seeping into the top
few inches of the soil, creating a ‘burn
barrier’. Any seeds that germinate and try
to grow through this barrier are essentially
burned, thus killed before they can even
break the soil surface.”
“This is what
I’ve learned...
A landscape is never static
but constantly evolving. Therefore,
things need to be redone, replaced
and rethought. Trees reach the end
of their lives—and after a proper
period of mourning, you have the
opportunity to plant a new legacy.
What is considered to be good
planning and design changes, so allow the
landscape to evolve with new discoveries.
Work with a sense of the place where you
reside.
Weedswillalwaysbewithus—gure
out how to live with some of them. You
will live longer and with less frustration.
Be in awe of and honored by of all
the scaly, feathered, furry, many-legged,
crawling, winged, slithering, hopping,
walkingandyingcreaturesthatresidein
your landscape. Be tolerant of them and
thankful that they have made their home
with you. Enjoy observing their lives.
Most of all, take time to enjoy what
you have accomplished with the good
grace of Mother Nature. The work will
still be there tomorrow.”
Carol Evans Lynch, *Curator of CABG Patch
Landscape Steward Site, Master Gardener Emerita
*Constantly being reminded that I am not in control.
Carol Evans Lynch and husband Bob own and
manage one of NSA’s private arboretums in
Omaha’s Ponca Hills.
If you’re interested
in joining our
statewide network of
gardens, either as a
private or public site,
visit plantnebraska.
org/who-we-are/
afliate-sites
or email
[email protected].
Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
University of Nebraska
102 Keim Hall
P.O. Box 830964
Lincoln, NE 68583-0964
Non Prot
U.S. Postage
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