Many people come to the Luminary Walk each year and enjoy the prairie landscape illuminated by Christmas lights. It is amazing how a few lights can make the natural landscape come to life at night. Typically, the winter landscape is cold, harsh and lifeless, but warm glowing Christmas lights can invite you in and provide […]
Read More
Many of the folks who plan weddings in our prairie garden are concerned with reducing the ecological footprint of their big day, an effort I applaud and encourage. For an organization like ours, “going green” is more than a catch phrase or marketing gimmick. Each decision to create more joy and beauty with less waste is […]
Read More
Fall is a wonderful time to be the Arboretum grounds keeper – watering duties slow down, weeds are relenting, and I can wear my favorite sweaters to work. Brisk mornings and the coppery hue of the landscape make for a pleasant work week. But wait … what’s that smell? Working in many different areas of […]
Read More
“High horns, low horns, silence, and finally a pandemonium of trumpets, rattles, croaks , and cries that almost shakes the bog with its nearness, but without yet disclosing whence it comes. At last a glint of sun reveals the approach of a great echelon of birds. On motionless wing they emerge from the lifting mists, […]
Read More
Gardening in the fall is different from gardening during the summertime. In my opinion, autumn yard work could barely be called work and borders on fun. The weather is perfect. Cool days with warm sunshine lure us outdoors. Take advantage of this wonderful season, because winter will be here before we know it. There is so much […]
Read More
Last weekend, my family was invited to a get together out in a friend’s pasture. It was away from any civilization, quiet and cool. As we sat around the bonfire and visited, I was reminded why this is my favorite time of the year. Here are my reasons for loving Kansas in autumn, but I am sure […]
Read More
In late September, I was at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City, KS. It was a great experience. The Flint Hills were in bloom with wildflowers and the grasses were adorned in their autumn glory. I walked to the top of the bluff on the Southwind Nature Trail and looked to the west. […]
Read More
Last week (late September) the Monarchs began to congregate in the arboretum. There are hundreds of them hanging from the branches in the hedgerow of our amphitheater. They are pooling here until the next north wind can help push them south. In the last few years, we have only seen a handful in the arboretum during their […]
Read More
Mention fall blooms to most gardeners and they think of chrysanthemums. Blooming in September and October, “mums” are the major source of color in most late-season gardens. Another group of fall-bloomers that are just as attractive, but not as well-known, are the asters. Asters are related to chrysanthemums (both are in the Sunflower Family) and […]
Read More
It is so common around this part of the country that we take it for granted, but the Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) is a very special tree, valuable to both farmer and wildlife, and integral to the agricultural history of Kansas. Osage Orange, of course, is the tough, thorny tree of Central Kansas hedgerows. To many […]
Read More
