We are near the longest nights of the year when your landscape is cold, brown, and sometimes snowy with few creatures stirring. But soon, if not already, you will be having visions of coneflowers and ground plums dancing in your head. Since landscaping labor is not taking up your free time at the moment, now […]
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The other day I made a wreath out of Juniper branches to hang from the Visitor Center chandelier. We needed a centerpiece for our luminary stroll open house. It took about 45 minutes. This natural evergreen wreath was easy to make and looks great. Here are the steps to making your own natural evergreen wreath: First, […]
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November is a great time to reflect on the many blessings of the past year here at the arboretum. We are grateful for so many things. We enjoy serving you and serving with you to fulfill the mission of this organization, to promote through education and stewardship the conservation and use of plants native and adaptable […]
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Over the years, the Winter Luminary Walk at Dyck Arboretum of the Plains has become a tradition for many people. Here are my top seven reasons to be part of this unique event: Enjoy the natural beauty of the gardens in winter. Thousands of lights bring the arboretum to life, highlighting the pure, organic […]
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In spite of winter’s recent blast, I am feeling hydrophilic. It is true that I have a “strong affinity for water” as the definition goes. In a vocation working with water-dependent plants where Latin names are commonly used, the word “hydrophillic” (Latin hydrophilus, from Greek hydr- + -philos -philous) should be common vernacular. It […]
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It is true that pollinators are important for many reasons, including food production. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council in a report from March of 2011, “more than $15 billion a year in U.S. crops are pollinated by bees, including apples, berries, cantaloupes, cucumbers, alfalfa, and almonds. U.S. honey bees also produce about $150 […]
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The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It’s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun. – Napoleon Hill If you live in Kansas […]
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The other day I was driving through town and really noticed the changing leaves for the first time this fall. They are looking particularly colorful this year. The Maple tree varieties like ‘John Pair’, ‘Autumn Splendor’, ‘Table Rock’ and Oaks like Red Oak and Shingle Oak put on quite a show. My favorite tree at […]
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Kansas Earth Partnership for Schools (EPS) has become a flagship program at Dyck Arboretum of the Plains since we received training from EPS founders at University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum in 2006. Over the last eight years, we have enjoyed helping 173 teachers form 58 Kansas schools pass along knowledge of the prairie to more than […]
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Native grasses are at their best right now. They are in full plumage. They are changing color from green to bold reds, yellows, and oranges. They have reached their full height. They are spectacular. I can’t imagine the view atop a rise looking over the expanse of the Great Plains in its unbroken state – […]
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