Pothos houseplant. Photo by S. Cochran
Houseplants do many things. They help to clean indoor air, provide a pop of color during a white winter, and they are a great way to keep your green thumb in practice for the upcoming season. With a little know-how, you too can grow prize winning houseplants. Continue reading
The first rule of war is to know thy enemy. It may seem a little drastic to think about waging war again furry little critters, but once you have actually dealt with them then you understand. Find out about a common landscape villain, what they do, and how can keep your landscape from becoming their lunch. Continue reading
Ice covered pine needles. Photo by V. Jedlicka
Winter in Nebraska can be summed up in one word, unpredictable. No matter what the weather does this winter, break out of the house to complete a few quick and easy tasks in your landscape to keep you trees and shrubs in tip-top shape. Continue reading
Seed and plant catalogs have started piling up on excited gardener’s tables everywhere. Thumbing through the catalog, how do you know which of the latest and greatest plants are really good and which ones are duds? There is someone who has already taken on that difficult task for us.
All-America Selections have done the dirty work for you.
One organization was founded to truly help make the difficult task of making selections easier. All-America Selections (AAS) is a non-profit organization that tests new plant varieties across the nation and lets home gardeners know which new cultivars are truly improved. They test new, unsold cultivars then pick out the outstanding plants. The first AAS winners in 1932 were announced a year later, after the results were tabulated from the first trial. Today the winning plants must still follow a strict set of criteria, but they are available for sale the year they are announced as the AAS winners, so the 2016 winners are available in 2016. Continue reading
Add a fruit garland to help feed the birds and get double duty out of you old tree. Photo by M. Frogge.
Live Christmas trees add an unmistakable ambiance to the holidays. Now that the holidays are over, the time has come to let your tree perform a different task. Get good use out of your live Christmas tree for a while longer by using it for other tasks like feeding the birds. Continue reading
Poinsettia
Thanksgiving has come and gone and now it is time to decorate for the holidays. No holiday decorating would be complete without poinsettias in the house. These plants are a part of most holiday traditions, but do you know what it takes to pick out the best one and makes it last long into the new year? Continue reading
Become a Nebraska Extension Master Gardener
Do you enjoy plants and gardening? Looking to learn more and hone your skills but don’t know where to go? The Extension Master Gardener program will educate you on many aspects of horticulture, allow you to test your knowledge and skills, all while serving your local community. Continue reading
Ornamental pear tree with cracking and flaking bark.
Pear trees in our area have a problem. Cracking, plating, and flaking bark has been reported in many ornamental or flowering pears across the region. What caused this problems and what can you do about it? Continue reading
The presence of frost usually means that your vegetable garden is either limping toward the finish line or has completed production for the year. Fall is the p
erfect time to clean up the vegetable garden and its tools to prepare them for next year. Continue reading
Beautiful Fall Color on Campus by Tim Harwick
Cooler nights, apples, pumpkin flavored everything, and football can only signal one thing, fall is here. This year has been a wonderful one to see fall color in Nebraska’s landscape. What exactly causes this fall color and how can we see it every year? The answer is more scientific than we think. Continue reading
Husker Hort 