Author Archives: Scott Vogt

The Earth Is Enough

Posted on by Scott Vogt

The start of the new year is a great time to make changes in your life and dedicate yourself to the things you value most. In 2024, I have a few simple resolutions that involve health, travel, and nature.  Some of these adjustments in my life will improve my overall health and enjoyment of the world around me. Here are a few thoughts I have as we start a new year. 

LOOK UP

Over Christmas break, I read the book The Earth Is Enough: Growing Up in a World of Flyfishing, Trout & Old Men by Harry Middleton.  I chose this book because it was about fly fishing, a hobby I have taken up in the past few years. However, this book didn’t dwell on fly fishing, but more on the experiences of being outside in the environment. The reader was able to connect with the sights, sounds, and feelings of being outdoors. 

Too often lately, I have hurried through my times in nature and the beauty around me has been missed or taken for granted. The outdoors is a complex, diverse and beautiful place with many lessons to teach us. As you walk, be intentional about connecting with your surroundings. I am convinced I/you will be healthier and happier by just pausing for a few moments in our busy lives to look around. Being outdoors can be very healing. 

Liatris pycnostachya, or prairie blazing star

Take a respite from our materialistic culture

This book made me think about the culture in which we live. We are driven to always want more stuff, which always leaves us hollow and wanting more. In The Earth is Enough, I appreciate the observations the characters made of their natural surroundings as they pondered all that truly matters in life. The eye of the trout looking at you as you release it back in the dark pool. Waiting on the return of the migrating geese marking the passage of time. These are simple but important interactions that help refocus our thoughts. These connections with nature, as well as the relationships we have with loved ones, can bring us joy and happiness. 

Find your Why

Without a compelling reason or motivation to make the changes we want, resolutions fail. Why do I need to lose a few pounds? Why do I need to stop and smell the roses, so to speak? What do I need to focus on at work to be more productive? Sure, it isn’t easy to stay focused, but when I keep going back to my why, I find my motivation again. Each of our whys will be different, but what they have in common is that they help us continue moving forward with purpose.

Creating habitat for pollinators and other wildlife could be a why worth pursuing in the new year.

These are just a few thoughts I have had over the past few weeks.  I know these resolutions are nothing earth shattering, but they are important to me right now. A little more time outdoors away from television or my phone is not a bad thing. Self-care has never been more important. 

Take care of yourself, of others and the natural world around us. Here is to a happier and healthier 2024.

Plant Tags and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Posted on by Scott Vogt

Plant tags can be confusing. They give general information about the plant, but I often wonder, is this realistic for our area? Will this plant really grow to four feet tall? Or will it be beat down by our Kansas heat and wind? Can it withstand our temperature extremes? One critically important piece of information on the plant tag is the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM). 

 

Echinacea purpurea ‘Pow Pow White’ is hardy to zone 3 (-40 to -35 degrees F). So it will grow well in zones 3-8, which is most of the United States.

Purpose and Use

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map was developed to show the average low winter temperature. Plants are rated according to the USDA hardiness zones, which is the minimum winter temperature they can survive.  On the map, there are 13 zones with a 10-degree F difference between the zones. Each zone is further delineated with 5-degree F differences dividing the zone further into a and b (6a and 6b for example). Hesston is in zone 6b (-5 to 0 degrees F).

Kansas hardiness zones range from 5b (-15 to -10 degrees F) in the extreme northwest corner to 7a (0 – 5 degrees F) in the south and southeast. The USDA PHZM has been recently updated to show gardeners what plants are most likely to survive in their area.  Type in your zip code to find your zone and use it as you choose plants for your landscape. CLICK HERE FOR THE 2023 USDA PHZM

Plant Provenance

This hardiness zone map highlights another important factor to consider regarding native plants – provenance.  Plant provenance refers to the source of the plant material that was collected for propagation. The reason this matters is that some species have very broad natural ranges that cover several very different ecoregions, hardiness zones. The populations of such species have developed adaptations to their environment at a genetic level even though they are outwardly identical.  Seed collected from a northern provenance is adapted to a shorter growing season, colder winter temperatures and often cooler nighttime temperatures compared to a southern provenance seed.  All this to say, try to purchase native seed from sources closest to your ecoregion as possible. 

This coleus is an annual unless it stays warm all year such as zone 10. Obviously, it must be kept away from freezing temperatures.

Plant lovers tend to push the boundaries when it comes to hardiness.  I have been told and shown plants growing in Kansas that are supposed to be hardy to zone 8.  It’s possible, but they are the exception, not the rule.  Often they are growing in a microclimate, which is a localized area that differs from the average climate with different growing conditions. This could be on the side of a building, red brick wall, a fence or an evergreen tree blocking the sun or wind. This could also be in a valley or on top of a hill.   

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is a valuable tool that helps gardeners and growers choose hardy plants that are most likely to thrive at a location. 

Here are a few other helpful pointers from the USDA:

  • If your hardiness zone has changed in this edition of the USDA PHZM, it does not mean you should start removing plants from your garden or change what you are growing. What has thrived in your yard will most likely continue to thrive.
  • Remember this is the average coldest night—not the lowest it could go. Gardeners should keep that in mind when selecting plants, especially if they choose to “push” their hardiness zone by growing plants not rated for their zone.
  • Microclimates, which are fine-scale climate variations, can be small heat islands—such as those caused by blacktop and concrete—or cool spots (frost pockets) caused by small hills and valleys. No hardiness zone map can take the place of the detailed knowledge that gardeners learn about their own gardens through hands-on experience.
  • Many species of perennial plants gradually acquire cold hardiness in the fall when they experience shorter days and cooler temperatures. This hardiness is normally lost gradually in late winter as temperatures warm and days become longer. A bout of extremely cold weather early in the fall might injure plants even though the temperatures may not reach the average lowest temperature for your zone. Similarly, exceptionally warm weather in midwinter followed by a sharp change to seasonably cold weather may cause injury to plants as well. Such factors could not be taken into account in the USDA PHZM.
  • All PHZMs should serve as general guides. They are based on the average lowest temperatures, not the lowest ever. Growing plants at the extreme range of the coldest zone where they are adapted means that they could experience a year with a rare, extreme cold snap. Even if it lasts just a day or two, plants that have thrived happily for several years could be lost. Gardeners need to keep that in mind and understand that past weather records cannot provide a guaranteed forecast for future variation in weather.

Other Factors Affecting Plant Survival

Many other environmental factors, in addition to hardiness zones, contribute to the success or failure of plants. Wind, soil type, soil moisture, humidity, pollution, snow, and winter sunshine can greatly affect the survival of plants. The way plants are placed in the landscape, how they are planted, and their size and health might also influence their survival.

  • Light: To thrive, plants need to be planted where they will receive the proper amount of light. For example, plants that require partial shade that are at the limits of hardiness in your area might be injured by too much sun during the winter because it might cause rapid changes in the plant’s internal temperature.
  • Soil moisture: Plants have different requirements for soil moisture, and this might vary seasonally. Plants that might otherwise be hardy in your zone might be injured if soil moisture is too dry in late autumn and they enter dormancy while suffering moisture stress.
  • Temperature: Plants grow best within a range of optimal temperatures, both cold and hot. That range may be wide for some varieties and species but narrow for others.
  • Duration of exposure to cold: Many plants that can survive a short period of exposure to cold may not tolerate longer periods of cold weather.
  • Humidity: High relative humidity limits cold damage by reducing moisture loss from leaves, branches, and buds. Cold injury can be more severe if the humidity is low, especially for evergreens.

The Importance of Diversifying Landscapes

Posted on by Scott Vogt

When you look at a virgin prairie (one that has never been tilled), you quickly discover a tremendous diversity of plants. Each square foot has many different species vying for sunlight, moisture, and space. Species change throughout the prairie as well from high to low, wet to dry, sun to shade, and vary even with soils. This diversity contributes significantly to the overall health and sustainability of the prairie landscape.

Prairie Window Project in September 2017. Photo by Brad Guhr.

One of the keys to successfully creating a prairie garden is including a diversity of plants suited to your site. Time of bloom and aesthetics are often considered first, but including variety is an essential element in the process too. It’s also important to think about diversifying trees and shrubs. Let’s look at some reasons why diversifying our home landscapes to include more species is so relevant.    

A Diverse Landscape is a Resilient Landscape

While each landscape is different, they all face an array of environmental pressures, such as drought, floods, pests, and diseases. A diverse landscape is more adaptable and resilient, able to endure these environmental hazards.  We have all seen shelter belts and monocultures decimated by drought, pests or disease-leaving large holes in the landscape.  If you think about it, single species or similar species landscapes are vulnerable to eradication in ways that diverse landscapes are not. 

A Diverse Landscape Attracts Diverse Wildlife

Building season long blooms benefits wildlife. Plants coming into bloom and going out of bloom mimics the prairie ecosystem. If you watch any prairie throughout the year, there are always a new set of plants blooming every few weeks throughout the growing season. Beyond building resilience, a diversity of plants attracts a diversity of pollinators and wildlife allowing them to complete their lifecycles. This is so crucial for their survival.  Patchwork prairies can serve as harbors, offering food and shelter to a broad range of wildlife. 

Butterflyweed with pale purple coneflowers and common milkweed

A Diverse Landscape is Visually Interesting

As I said earlier, often our first consideration when choosing plants is aesthetics or ornamental characteristics. I don’t want to downplay this step in the process, but I do want to encourage you to try many different types of plant species. By varying plant species, you provide visual interest, which adds character to your landscape. Some of the most inviting spaces have diverse colors, shapes, blooms, textures, layers, and heights of plants.   

A Diverse Landscape is a Dynamic Plant Community

A diverse plant palette suited for your site can look formal, but it generally requires more effort on our part to keep it looking kempt. However, an informal planting can be just as attractive. It depends on your maintenance style and preference. No matter how you want your landscape to look over time, we must prioritize the careful selection and planting of diverse prairie species.

It can’t be overstated – diversifying landscapes in the urban setting is so important. Diversity in the plants you include in your landscape attracts diversity to your landscape. This thoughtful approach to design not only enhances the beauty of our gardens but also strengthens their resilience in the face of environmental challenges.  It also promotes sustainability, conservation of natural resources, and enriches our experiences with nature.

Plant Profile: Pink Muhly Grass

Posted on by Scott Vogt

Fall is the best time of year to admire the beautiful regalia of native grasses. During the spring and summer, these grasses blend into their surroundings. As autumn deepens, the wonderful fall color and attractive seed heads of these grasses are on full display.

One of the most talked about grasses this fall has to be pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris). A few years ago on the sidewalk in the northwest corner of the Arboretum, we established a couple groupings of these plants. This year, these swaths are topped with vibrant pink blooms.

Pink muhly with Wichita Mountains goldenrod

Pink muhly grass is not only a beautiful ornamental grass, but it is also low-maintenance. We have not done much to keep these grasses going this growing season. It gives you the best of both worlds, a showy plant that doesn’t require much time and attention.

These plants establish relatively quickly, either planted in the spring or in the fall. If you are planting in the fall, plan ahead by getting them in the ground at least a month before the expected initial frost. They are a warm season grass that needs soil at least 60 degrees to continue rooting.

In the spring and summer, the rounded, slender, long shoots of grass are dark green in color. As fall approaches, the plant produces soft, fuzzy flowers in pink or pinkish-red hues, with an appearance resembling cotton candy. As winter grows near, the flowers lose their color, but the dried plumes are still attractive.

Muhlenbergia capillaris grows well in sandy or rocky woods and clearings with good drainage. It is native to Kansas and states south and east. We grow the straight species, but the cultivar ‘Regal Mist’ is another popular variety. Other beautiful cultivars include ‘Pink Flamingo’ and ‘White Cloud’. Planting in large drifts is breathtaking.

While not as well-known as some of the other native grasses, it should be used more in landscapes because of its tolerance to poor soil and dry conditions. It needs good drainage especially during the winter, but is quite adaptable once fully established. As the clumps develop excessive thatch after three or four years, division may be helpful. Perfect for slopes; great in a container; beautiful when tucked into cut-flower arrangements.

Sunlight on pink muhly grass with side oats grama in the foreground.

For next spring, put this grass on your bucket list. You will not be disappointed. The soft watercolor effect will stop you in your tracks.

Wonderful Autumn

Posted on by Scott Vogt

This time of year a person interested in plants can get very tired and rundown.  I certainly have been dragging.  The relentless heat and drought has many plants stressed and prematurely going dormant.  We have been watering as we can but we can’t water everything.  As we wait for rain and hope that our little plants can hang on, there is still beauty happening all around us. 

I was reminded of this last week as we hosted several groups of fifth graders.  We stopped at some fall blooming asters including purple New England asters that were teaming with hundreds of different pollinators.  Monarchs were passing through too and they added to the excitement at what they were experiencing from this landscape.  These pollinators were eager to find nectar in this created habitat.  It reminded me anew why landscaping with native plants is so important. These children were amazed at what they saw. Their awe and wonder at the diversity of pollinators really impacted me. Sometimes we need to see things from the eyes of children.  

We like the aesthetics these landscapes provide for our homes, and businesses, but these patchwork habitats are needed and sought out by many different pollinators.  Here are some eye candy for you to enjoy. 

Bordered patches are commonly found throughout the southwest US and Northern Mexico, but can be found in Kansas through late fall.

Our landscapes can be frustrating and troublesome at times. These landscape can also be therapeutic and healing. Maybe you need to step back like I did this past week and take in the simple beauty all around us. Even though you may be suffering from landscape maintenance fatigue, you are doing something vitally important both for you and the wildlife that is attracted to you prairie garden.  Don’t lose heart. 

Monarchs congregating in the Arboretum Amphitheater today. Hundreds of them. This was just one branch. WOW!!

Plant Profile: Pitcher Sage, Salvia azurea

Posted on by Scott Vogt

During the doldrums of late summer, light blue flower spikes thrusting skyward along Kansas roadsides and prairies provide welcome contrast to the yellows of the state’s many sunflowers.  Pitcher sage, also known as blue sage or pitcher plant, is a delicate looking prairie native with ironclad constitution. 

Salvia azurea, also known as blue sage, is a member of the MINT FAMILY.

Pitcher sage is a somewhat common plant in the rocky areas of the tall and mixed grass prairies. This plant is an erect, hairy perennial ranging in height from one and a half to four feet with short, thick rhizomes (horizontal underground stems). Very adaptable to garden situations, it prefers drier soil in full sun. In sandy sites it has been known to self-seed, but this is seldom a problem in clay loams. The crowns can slowly broaden from rhizomes as the plant matures. 

Pitcher sage blooms from late July to early October, although peak bloom is early September in most years. It is blooming right now in our Prairie Window Project in the south part of the Arboretum. The light blue flower color is common in prairies around south central Kansas. There is a cultivated variety, Salvia azurea “Grandiflora,” that displays an intense deep blue flower. Once established, it requires water only during extended dry periods. 

Besides the unique light blue coloration, the flowers possess an unusual mechanism to ensure cross-pollination. The corolla is lobed with a narrow concave lip covering the style (female) and the anthers (male) which mature at different times in the same flower. The lower lip is broad and protruding, providing a landing pad for visiting honey bees, bumble bees and other pollinators.  The bee grasps the platform, thrusts its head down into the throat of the flower and pushes its sucking mouth parts into the nectar glands. By this action, the bee is simultaneously pushing down on the structure at the base of the stamens. This causes them to descend from the upper lip spreading pollen on the bee’s back. As the bee visits other flowers, it spreads pollen to receptive styles. 

Bumble bee in search of some nectar.

The Arboretum grows pitcher sage for its late summer color and the bee activity it provides.  The plant is a bee magnet in full bloom. It is always entertaining to watch lumbering, black and yellow bumble bees wrestle their way into the flowers in search of nectar while unwittingly carrying the promise of another seed crop on their striped backs.   

Plants for hillsides and slopes

Posted on by Scott Vogt

One of the more common landscaping conundrums is deciding what to plant on steep slopes or hillsides. These areas require plants that can establish quickly, have fibrous root systems, that hold soil to control erosion, are tolerant of fluctuating soil moisture and potentially poor nutrient availability, and require little care once established.

Slopes and hillsides are already challenging because of sun exposure, and the degree of the slope only exacerbates the problem. Establishing plants from seed is the most economical choice, but is also the most subject to erosion for the first 3 to 5 years until plants get established. Often, turf grass such as fescue, buffalograss, or bermuda grass is the first groundcover choice for keeping soil in place, but mowing these sloped areas can be a challenge, maybe even dangerous. Turf does not create much habitat for wildlife and pollinators either.

There are many plants that will establish cover more quickly than seed. These native plants offer a lower maintenance alternative to a mowed lawn. The following list is just a start. Remember to plant more densely (1-2 feet apart) so the area gets completely covered with plants quickly.

Grasses

The following grasses, with their extensive fibrous root systems are ideal plants to stabilize a steep area and prevent soil erosion.

  • Andropogon geradii (Big Bluestem)
  • Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama)
  • Chasmanthium latifolium (River oats)-Can grow in sun or shade but is aggressive. It will spread by seed and rhizomes to crowd out most other plants.
  • Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye)
  • Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass)
  • Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)
  • Sporobolus heterolepis (prairie dropseed)
Little Bluestem with Aromatic Aster and New England Aster

Wildflowers

  • Achillea millifolium Yarrow
  • Allium cernuum Nodding onion
  • Amsonia sp. Blue star
  • Aquilegia canadensis Columbine
  • Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly weed
  • Baptisia australis False blue indigo
  • Dalea purpurea Purple Prairie Clover
  • Echinacea purpurea Purple coneflower
  • Eutrochium (Eupatorium) maculatus Joe-pye weed
  • Filipendula rubra Queen-of-the-prairie
  • Liatris pycnostachya Prairie blazing star
  • Liatris spicata Dense blazing star
  • Rudbeckia sp. Black-eyed Susan
  • Penstemon digitalis Penstemon
  • Symphyotrichum oblongifolium Aromatic aster
  • Solidago sp. goldenrod
  • Tradescantia ohiensis Spiderwort
  • Veronicastrum virginicum Culver’s root
Amsonia ‘Butterscotch’ and Aster ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ with mulch between plants to control erosion.

Trees and Shrubs

  • Amelanchier canadensis Serviceberry
  • Cercis canadensis Redbud
  • Coruns sp. Dogwood
  • Crataegus viridis Hawthorn
  • Heptacodium miconioides Seven Son Flower
  • Ilex verticillata Winterberry holly
  • Lonicera reticulata Grape honeysuckle
  • Prunus Americana Wild Plum
  • Prunus sp. Sand cherry
  • Prunus virginiana Chokecherry
  • Rhus aromatica Fragrant sumac
  • Sambucus canadensis Elderberry
  • Viburnum prunifolium Blackhaw Viburnum

If the erosion is already very serious, you might want to consider using erosion-control blankets to stabilize the erosion area until the plants can take over the job. The erosion-control fabric works by slowing the runoff water and allowing sediments to fall out rather than be washed away. Choose a mat that will decompose over time, e.g. straw or jute, rather than something made of plastic. Start by slicing a small opening in the mat so plants can be put into the soil beneath. I recommend hand watering during establishment as much as possible since sprinkler irrigation can increase soil erosion.

For more gentle slopes, heavy mulch or pea gravel can be used to control erosion during establishment. Each slope situation is unique, but if you can, the best strategy for stabilizing a slope with plants is to establish vegetation at multiple levels—plant trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers. A multi-level canopy will do the best job of intercepting and slowing precipitation before it hits the ground, reducing surface erosion. Different vegetation types also provide both deep and spreading roots that stabilize the entire soil profile. Generally, it takes 2-4 years to get these plants fully established and roots anchored into the slope.

Slopes covered with a variety of grasses including switchgrass and fountain grass at Wichita Art Museum. Photo by Brad Guhr

Summer Garden Checklist

Posted on by Scott Vogt

Kansas summers can discourage even the hardiest gardeners. However, taking time to manage your garden now will help your garden later. Here’s my Summer Garden Checklist for the Kansas gardener.

Control Warm Season Weeds

Summer brings with it a new set of weeds to control. Hot weather germinates summer annuals like crabgrass, foxtail. Nutsedge and other weeds invade your lawn and landscape as well. Manage weeds using nonchemical methods such as cultivation, hand weeding, or mowing; use toxic chemicals as a last resort. 

Mowing regularly and occasionally edging along sidewalks and walkways is needed to ensure your lawn is not overrun with weeds. In a landscaped bed, hand pull any of these weeds, especially if they have seed heads.  It is so important to not let these weeds go to seed. Stay vigilant even though the summer heat tries to squash your enthusiasm. A little extra effort now will make your garden better this fall and into next year. 

Crabgrass in tree mulch ring controlled with roundup: one treatment should clean up the mulched area and keep it weed free the rest of the season.

Be Water Wise

To reduce evaporation, water when temperatures are cooler and air is still, usually in the early morning. Water deeply to moisten the root zone, but infrequently. About an inch of water each week is a good rule of thumb!  If you have invested in container plants, they will need daily watering, as soil in pots can dry out quickly and damage plant roots on hot summer days.  Each of our gardens have indicator plants that show stress first, let these plants be your guide as when to water.  For new planting started this spring, water when the top one to two inches of soil is dry.  Remember it takes three to five years for sustaining roots systems to develop for most native plants.  Supplemental watering is necessary to encourage growth and root development in these young plants. 

We use pressure compensating 1/2 inch soaker hoses to efficiently water trees, shrubs and a few flower beds. Each emitter puts out 1 gallon of water per hour.

Prepare for seeding

If you are wanting to establish native prairie plants from seed, now is a great time to prepare your area.  Mow your area short (1-2 inches). Control perennial weeds such as bindweed or Bermuda grass by carefully spraying the area with Roundup. It will take several applications to get these problematic weeds under control. If you can see soil, tillage is not necessary. If you can’t see soil, till lightly to expose some bare soil. Remember, each time you till, you bring up more weed seeds, so tread lightly. 

Measure your area and order a seed mixture that matches your site. A good seed mix ratio of wildflower to grass is 70% wildflowers to 30% grasses. Grasses tend to dominate over time, so this ratio will give the wildflowers a good start. We typically spread seed in November and December after the soil temperature has dropped enough to discourage germination. The natural freeze/thaw of the ground will work the seeds down into the soil to the proper depth for germination next spring. 

This is the seed mix we established along our newly renovated path.
Sidewalk edge planting: We mixed some sand with the seed mix to make it easier to distribute. We then let the natural freeze/thaw of the soil plant the seed for us through the winter. Germination occurred the following spring when soil temperatures rose above 60 degrees.

Trim

Now is a great time to trim back perennials that have become unruly. Perennial and grasses that are encroaching sidewalks, paths, and structures can be sheared back to size. If this is a problem every year, you may consider moving the taller plants to another spot. Plants can be divided next February or March before they start to actively grow. 

Low hanging branches from trees can also be pruned. It is getting late in the season to do much pruning on shrubs. New growth may not have enough time to get hardened off before cooler/colder weather.  If a branch or shoot is in the way, then prune it, but prune sooner rather than later. If you can wait until the shrub goes dormant this fall, then wait. 

As a general rule, early spring flowering shrubs such as forsythia, lilac and spirea should be pruned right after they are done blooming since they bloom on the previous year’s growth. Pruning right after blooming will allow the shrub to grow and develop a new set of buds for the next spring. 

A large compass plant that needs to be trimmed away from the path.

Finally, remember “WHY” you are gardening; creating habitat, conserving water, aesthetics, attracting pollinators, attracting birds and other wildlife or curb appeal. Let your “WHY” reinvigorate you to take care of a few extra tasks that will give your landscape a boost. Don’t sweat the small stuff and don’t forget to step back to enjoy what you are trying to create. If it is all work and no enjoyment, then what is the point.

Pale purple coneflower with a common buckeye butterfly. Fun to watch!

Butterfly weed: Fun Facts

Posted on by Scott Vogt

One of the most iconic prairie wildflowers is Asclepias tuberosa, commonly referred to as butterfly weed or butterfly milkweed.  From May to July, its bright orange flowers dot the prairie landscape. These attractive flowers are a magnet for many different pollinators, including the monarch butterfly.

Butterfly weed can be found in dry fields, meadows, prairies, open woodlands, canyons and on hillsides. It grows on loamy and sandy, well-drained soils, in areas that provide plenty of sun. It is consistently the most sought after prairie wildflower for a garden and the flowers work well in bouquets.

Darker orange blooms with red pigment in the flower

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa): Did You Know…?

  • The flower color in Asclepias tuberosa ranges from deep red-orange to a rich yellow, depending on the amount of red pigment which is superimposed over the yellow carotenoid background pigments. The flower color has nothing to do with the soil type.
  • This species can be found in the eastern two-thirds of the state of Kansas.
  • Butterfly weed is also known as “butterfly milkweed”, even though it produces translucent (instead of milky) sap.
  • The scientific name Asclepias comes from Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine. tuberosa refers to thick tuberous roots which make it very difficult to transplant from the wild.  Please don’t dig mature plants from the prairie. 
  • Root of butterfly weed was used in treatment of pleurisy, bronchitis and other pulmonary disorders in the past. Don’t try this at home. 
  • Butterfly weed can be also used in treatment of diarrhea, snow blindness, snakebites, sore throat, colic and to stimulate production of milk in breastfeeding women. Again, don’t try this at home. 
  • The small individual flowers consist of 5 petals. Each milkweed blossom is equipped with a trap door, called a stigmatic slit. When insects land on their pendulous flowers, they must cling to the petals as they feed on nectar. As they forage on the flower for nectar, their foot slips into the stigmatic slit and comes in contact with a sticky ball of pollen, called a pollinium. When the insect pulls its foot out of the trap door, it brings the pollinium with it. Eventually, the insect will move on to the next flower. Should that same foot slip back into another milkweed flower’s stigmatic slit, the pollen can be transferred and pollination is completed.  This process is quite amazing to watch. 
  • Typically, it takes three years for a butterfly weed to start producing flowers.
  • The long narrow fruit pods develop later in summer. These hairy green pods ripen and ultimately turn a tannish-brown in the fall. Each pod contains hundreds of seed equipped with silky, white tufts of hair. As the pod dries and splits in the fall, the seeds are carried away by the breeze. Those white tufts of hair act as tiny parachute-like structures that disperse the seeds. 
  • As with other milkweeds, butterfly weed will attract aphids; you can leave them for ladybugs to eat or spray the insects and foliage with soapy water.
Gorgone Checkerspot

Butterfly weed is a garden worthy wildflower. It doesn’t spread aggressively like other milkweeds, but rather stays as a nice upright clump. Its many ornamental and functional assets, plus its rugged character will make it a focal point in the summer garden for years to come. You will be rewarded as pollinators seek out the beautiful iconic flowers of this native wildflower. Give it a try!

Orange and yellow butterfly weed blooming in the same flower bed
“Hello Yellow” butterfly weed

Do You Have Nutsedge?

Posted on by Scott Vogt

This time of year, yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) and purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) become problematic in the landscape. These problem weeds have triangular grass-like leaves and form colonies if left unchecked. It is not a grass, but rather a sedge. The key identifying feature is the triangular stem in cross section, as opposed to a round cross section in grasses. 

In Lawns

Nutsedge is a common weed in lawns with waterlogged soil, and its presence often indicates that drainage is poor, irrigation is too frequent, or sprinklers are leaky. Once established, however, it will tolerate normal irrigation conditions or drought.  Established nutsedge plants grow faster than many lawn grasses, so it is often noticed when it outgrows the surrounding grass. The leaves are bright green and have a waxy appearance in summer when surrounding lawn grass may be a lighter green.

Management in Lawns

As with most weeds in lawns, the best defense is to maintain a healthy, dense turf that can compete and prevent weed establishment.  Water lawns on an as-needed basis, not on a regular schedule. Overwatering increases disease and provides a better environment for nutsedge to grow. 

For larger infestations in lawns, spot spray with a liquid, selective herbicide that contains the active ingredient: Common Name: Halosulfuron; Trade Name: Manage, or Sedgehammer and others or Common Name: Sulfentrazone.  Mixing these herbicides with a non-ionic surfactant that breaks down the waxy leaf coating to the chemical is more effective. 

In Mulch

Nutsedges thrive in areas with little or no competition.  In mulch rings around trees and between flowers offer ideal conditions for large colonies to form. Actively growing stands of nutsedge have extensive root systems that can reach as deep as four feet. Nutsedges produce underground tubers and runners that make it difficult to pull out of the ground. Each of these can produce another plant if not completely removed.

Mechanical management

Digging out or using an appropriate weeding tool to remove the underground ‘nutlets’ is the primary means of mechanical control of nutsedge. This is a viable option at the beginning of an infestation and on young weeds.  If you want to avoid spraying chemicals for control of nutsedge, you need to relentlessly pull the plants every time a new plant emerges.  It is most active in May through October.  We have also smothered nutsedge with cardboard and two to four inches of mulch. Nutsedge may emerge again next year after the cardboard has decomposed.

 

Spraying

We have had success spraying nutsedge.  We use Manage™ (Sledgehammer) herbicide. It is a selective herbicide that only kills nutsedge and can be sprayed in close proximity to other perennials, shrubs and trees. It takes a few weeks for the plants to show decline, but Manage™ kills the whole plant including the runners and tubers. I have used Roundup as a control, but it is a non-selective contact herbicide that kills the weeds it contacts.   

Nutsedges are often unwelcome competition for our more desirable plants. These “weeds” can be controlled by a healthy, actively growing landscape. Competition and vigorous plantings will push these plants aside. If you do find it in your landscape, remove it immediately. If you have larger areas, be persistent, over time, you will get the upper hand.  Be as unrelenting as the weeds.  As they say on the Red Green Show, “We are all in this together. I am pulling for you.”