All the Dirt on Gardening

We love our cold-hardy Gardenias and worried that they wouldn't make it through the winter without cover. Home made plant protection For the past two winters, we've experimented with a cover of pine straw and soil but when we uncovered the shrubs in the spring, the leaves were still green but had fungal spots. This year a cover was constructed to protect them from the worst of the cold temperatures, while allowing rain and sun to penetrate. Wood frame wrapped with wire Corners were stapled together Here's how Jon did it. A wood frame was constructed with wood scraps, stapled with a staple gun. The frame was wrapped with chicken wire. The burlap was stapled to the wood frame and completely wrapped the wire frame. The plants still look good under there. Re-purposed coffee sacks were draped . The burlap was stapled to the wood

Ken Brunson The Kansas Native Plant Society is sponsoring a talk on Jan 31st at 6:30 , The l ocation is Dyck Arborteum, 177 W Hickory Street, Hesston KS, just north of Wichita. The speaker is Ken Brunson and his topic is Fire Recovery in the Hills. Ecologist and field manager Ken Brunson of the Nature Conservancy knows a lot about the Anderson Creek Wildfire of March 2016 that consumed about 390,000 acres of land in Oklahoma and Kansas.  By some estimates, this was the biggest private lands fire in the U.S. since records have been kept. Several hundred head of livestock were killed, thousands of miles of fence, and at least a dozen houses were destroyed. Positive and negative impacts to land and wildlife varies, and Ken will show photos as part of his presentation about this fascinating story. Come for supper at 6:00 p.m. or just the lecture at 6:30 p.m. ($2 for lecture, $7 for supper and lecture). Call 620-327-8127 by 4 p.m. on Friday before the Tuesday lecture for supp...

We've already had a hard freeze but this weekend's rain, sleet and maybe, ice storm will make matters worse for our vulnerable plants. Here are some good reminders from Buchanan's Native Plants  After a freeze, some plants may show signs of frost damage. Frost damage can reveals itself as dark areas on leaves, a burnt appearance, or wilting. Here are some things you can do to help protect and nurture a plant with frost/freeze damage. 1. Don’t prune: Although frost damage can be unsightly, you should not cut back dead or damages leaves or branches. This is very difficult for many gardeners, as cutting something unhealthy off their plant feels like the natural thing to do. However, the damaged leaves still have benefit by acting to protect the remaining plant from wind and chill. Besides, pruning promotes tender new growth, which is the last thing we want before winter is over. Keep your shears away until spring (late February for perennials and early March for tropical...

The New Yorker published an exciting article about vertical farming efforts on the east coast. THE VERTICAL FARM Growing crops in the city, without soil or natural light.     By  Ian Frazier   Ingrid Williams, AeroFarms’ director of human resources, lives in Orange New Jersey but knows Newark well. She has degrees in labor studies and sociology from Rutgers.   Williams told me. “ There’s an AeroFarms mini-farm growing salad greens in the cafeteria of my daughter’s school, Philip’s Academy Charter School, on Central Avenue. I volunteer there all the time as part of parents’ stewardship, and I know the kids love growing their own lettuce for the salad bar.” We need more Ed Harwoods in the US with messianic enthusiasm. "The mini-farm’s inventor, Ed Harwood , of Ithaca, New York, sold it to the school in 2010. Harwood is a sixty-six-year-old man of medium stature who speaks with the kind of rural accent that sometimes drops the last lette...

The Oklahoma Native Plant Society Indoor Outing is in Tulsa this year! Great news for those of us who live in the eastern part of the state. Registration is now available online at the link above. topic Landscaping with Native Plants time  8:30 to 4:00 location Tulsa Garden Center 2435 S Peoria To register Conference is $15 per person plus optional meal Lunch is $10 per person ONPS 3926 E 33rd ST. Tulsa 74135 Information Connie Murray 918.8453170 murrayconstance4882@gmail.com