Plant Profile: My Run-in With A Texas Buckeye

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Scott Vogt

There are some experiences we will always remember and others we need to be reminded of from time to time. One of those experiences happened for me with the Texas Buckeye near the Arboretum parking lot. Each spring when it blooms, I am reminded of the time I about killed that tree.

Texas Buckeye Blooms

It was one of the first years I was working as the horticulturist/grounds manager. I was mowing close to that tree, which had been planted the year before. It was supported with wires from the trunk to stakes in the ground. I turned the mower and WACK! The top of the tree hit me on the head.

Have you ever had the sudden realization that something isn’t right? Have you ever had that feeling in the pit of your stomach to not turn around? I turned around to see that the back of my mower had caught one of the wires and pulled the tree over, breaking the trunk about two feet off the ground. I wanted to crawl in a hole.

The Texas Buckeye (Aescules glabra var. arguta) tree, which was now laying horizontal, had been sought diligently for this specific spot. In one second, I had killed it.

Have you ever had thoughts of hiding something you did wrong? That thought flashed into my mind. Will anyone notice? I was in a jam. So, I decided to take my lumps.

I walked into Larry Vickerman’s office, who was the director at that time, and told him the bad news. To his credit he didn’t yell at me, but I certainly would have deserved it. He took a look at it and we decided to try to set it upright again. We gently unhooked it from the mower and made it vertical and then wrapped the place where it bent over with tree wrap. We crossed our fingers that it would survive. It did survive the rest of that year and bloomed the next year. It has continued to bloom each year since and each spring I am reminded of the time I was hit upside the head. Maybe there is a lesson to be learned in this story. Maybe I need to be hit upside the head from time to time.

Anyway, if you look close, the scar is still visible, but it has fully healed. This beautiful small tree has palmately compound leaves that will turn yellow-orange in the fall. The real show in is May when the creamy, yellow flower panicles emerge. The blooms are spectacular and very eye catching, because they appear at the ends of the branches. It is an understory tree, which becomes most visible when in bloom. The leathery seed pods develop later in the year and contain tannish-brown, shiny seeds that look like “buck (deer) eyes” . The seeds are known to be poisonous along with all parts of the plant as well. If the tree becomes really drought stressed, it will prematurely drop its leaves. Ultimately reaching 20-25 feet tall and 15-20 wide, it is a wonderful small tree for the landscape.

This is a great native small tree that deserves more use. Each year, I get a renewed sense of relief, because I know what I did to it, yet is still thrives. If this Texas Buckeye can survive being toppled by a mower, it can survive anything you throw at it.

Gardening as Entertainment

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Scott Vogt

For me, there’s something fun, exciting, and even entertaining about gardening. It is an adventure every year. I love the journey of taking a plant, any plant, and making it grow. To see a plant transformed into something that produces a crop for me to use or a flower for me to enjoy is extremely gratifying. It’s a very personal journey, because of the time you spend and the choices you make. Actively gardening appeals to the senses. I don’t want to get all sappy, but to touch, see, hear, and watch the landscape change with a little input and time from me is very fulfilling.

How do we make gardening landscaping more enjoyable? I have thought quite a bit about this question – particularly about making landscaping with native plants more appealing to the general public. What would motivate someone to spend time and energy developing a native landscape? Ultimately, it is their choice, but if it were viewed as entertainment, we couldn’t produce enough plants to meet the demand.

So let’s look at gardening as entertainment. We all want to be entertained. At least I do. So here are some ways tending a landscape can entertain you.

Changes throughout the year.

Where else can you go and get year-round beauty? If you go to the Konza Prairie near Manhattan, you can experience the natural beauty that occurs as the seasons progress. Every couple of weeks you will see something new. Subtle changes to the landscape provide surprising beauty. It is no different in our own landscapes. If you have just three to four plants in bloom during each season of the year, combined with some native grasses, you can mimic that larger landscape on a much smaller scale. Think of your landscape as a canvas with constantly changing colors, shapes, patterns and textures. Sounds very attractive, doesn’t it?

Wildlife.

To watch a monarch butterfly flit from flower to flower is amazing. To see a hummingbird sipping the nectar from a tubular flower can be mesmerizing. Blazing stars (Liatris aspera) covered with ten different pollinators at the same time captures your attention. Just think about the many benefits of native plants. One of the most important benefits to pollinators is the symbiotic relationship plants and wildlife have with each other. If you enjoy live entertainment, watching wildlife in your garden can captivate your attention.

Relaxation.

We are all living increasingly busy lives. We don’t have enough time to step back and unwind. Gardens give us the space to relax. Plant a garden that is manageable. If you are really busy focus, on a small area you will use the most or see the most from your home. For me, my garden is entertainment. An oasis from a hectic life. A chance to get my hands in the soil. The smell of freshly turned soil is soothing. My garden draws me away from personalities, stress, and performance and brings me back to my roots. Gardening is about touching things that are real and alive, engaging the senses, and enjoying the journey year after year.

Gardening is a choice worth making. Your landscape can touch your senses, give you a place to go and get the recovery you need and entertain you. A choice to garden and create a landscape for your enjoyment is never unwise. Embrace the journey!

Catkins: Spring’s Botanical Wonder

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Katie Schmidt

Sneezing, coughing, watery eyes – everyone is complaining about allergies this time of year, the Arboretum staff included. Many people point the blame at any pretty flower they see in early spring, such as Bradford Pear blossoms (Pyrus sp.), redbuds (Cercis sp.) or daffodils (Narcissus sp.). But it is likely to be less obvious blooms causing your sniffles – catkins. The trees are chalk full of these inconspicuous, pollen-spraying fiends! I’ll have to put aside my animosity for them and their disastrous effect on my sinuses while I explain their fascinating botany…but I’ll have to blow my nose first.

Catkins at the Arboretum now! From left to right, willow (Salix), alder (Alnus) and aspen (Populus)

Structure and Function

Catkins are flowers adapted to be pollinated by wind, which is known as anemochory. (Pollinated in water? Hydrocory. Pollinated by birds? Ornithochory. You get the idea.) Their dangling habit is part of this adaptation, and pollen is released from male flowers when wind causes them to shake. These worm-like blooms are actually hundreds of tiny flowers strung together. Each catkin is either male or female, but both sexes may or may not be carried on the same plant. If a single plant produces both male and female catkins it is considered ‘monoecious’. Some tree and shrub species have separate sexes and produce only male or female flowers on a single plant, meaning they are ‘dioecious’.

Salix caprea flower stages – male catkin (I) and female catkin (III), ovary cross section (V)

No Beauty Queen

In general, the prettier the flower the less likely it is to be pollinated by wind. The striking white pear trees blooming now are mostly pollinated by bees, and therefore not the cause of wind-born pollen allergies. If the flower is colorful and attractive it is probably luring in winged creatures to carry it’s pollen becuase the grains are too heavy to be carried on the wind. Catkins are not burdened with the task of being beautiful – they don’t have to attract a subjective eye for pollination. But in the plant world, if you can’t be pretty then you must be prolific! These little flowers release enormous amounts of pollen onto the breeze, with little chance that any of it will serendipitously land on the female of the corresponding species. Not only does the pollen grain have to float its way to the opposite sex, but it must then land exactly on the tiny stigma, the pollen receptacle atop the female flower, to produce pollination. What a feat! With such slim odds, it is no wonder that these trees produce prodigious amounts of pollen, much to the dismay of allergy sufferers.

Left , ragweed pollen (Amrbosia) Right, Hazel pollen (Corylus). Hazel trees produce catkins. Ragweed does not, but the pollen is so annoying I thought everyone should know what it looks like.

Left , ragweed pollen (Amrbosia) Right, Hazel pollen (Corylus). Hazel trees produce catkins. Ragweed does not have catkins, but the pollen is so annoying I thought everyone should know what it looks like.

Whether their pollen ends up in your nose and eyes, or the catkins themselves fall wet and soggy on your windshield, try not to loathe them too much – they are just another of nature’s incredibly well-designed survival mechanisms, and all your sneezing is just a sign that spring has arrived!

Attributions:
Wikimedia public domain images
Salix flowers – By Internet Archive Book Images [No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons
https://archive.org/stream/textbookofstruct00thom/textbookofstruct00thom#page/376/mode/1up

Ambrosia pollen – By Nikita Karasik (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Corylus pollen – By Doc. RNDr. Josef Reischig, CSc. (Author’s archive) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Native Plants Are Becoming “The New Normal”

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Scott Vogt

What is normal? A definition I like is “the usual, average, or typical state or condition.” So, what would most mid-Westerners think of as a “normal” landscape? How about a landscape dominated by lawn, a few foundation plantings with uninspiring, “tidy” perennials and shrubs that serve no real purpose other than to take up space? In my opinion, this describes many of the common landscapes we have seen over the past 20-30 years, including some areas around my own house.

The “new normal” reflects a current state of being after some dramatic change has transpired. It replaces the expected, usual, and typical with exciting, productive, purposeful, beneficial and sustainable. I believe that over the past few years we have seen a renewed interest in landscaping that fits this description, and that soon, landscaping with native plants will become the new normal.

Through increased interest in our native plant sales, native landscaping classes and educational programs, we are witnessing a collective realization that there are significant benefits to utilizing natives in the garden, benefits that make sense both for people and for the wildlife that depend on these plants for their survival. We as a society have also come to understand, we don’t have to give anything up in the process of developing an eco-friendly landscape. It is interesting and ironic that this “new normal” of landscaping with native plants is taking us full circle here in Kansas, back to our prairie roots.

Here are three reasons native plants should be the “new normal” in your garden:

#1 Low Maintenance

There is no such thing as a no-maintenance landscape. However, if we emphasize selecting plants that grow naturally in our area and matching them to our site, maintenance will be drastically reduced. Native plants have adapted to local conditions. Once established, the deep roots of the prairie natives will take them through prolonged periods of drought. Healthy plants require less maintenance, are stronger, are less prone to disease, require less water, provide beautiful blooms while growing in the toughest environments, therefore reducing our time in the garden and increasing our enjoyment.

The new normal is to select plants that go naturally with the place we live, rather than planting traditional landscapes that often try to change the place to accommodate the plant.

Native wildflower planting at Denver Botanical Garden at Chatfield

#2 Beautiful Plants

If you have ever walked through a pristine prairie or observed the changing seasons in the Flint Hills, you know the exquisite beauty of wildflowers in bloom coupled with native grasses. It is understated and taken for granted. I am always amazed at the complexity and intricacies of these prairie plants. They create a very unique sense of place.

The new normal is a renewed awareness of the natural beauty of the prairie and a recognition that we can have a part of it in our own gardens.

Summer Wildflowers in the Arboretum

#3 Attract Pollinators and Wildlife

Even in most urban settings, wildlife surrounds us. Pollinators live in our neighborhoods and utilize plants in our landscapes. By strategically planting even a few native wildflowers, grasses and shrubs that bloom at different times throughout the year, you can make a positive impact on their survival. When it comes to helping the natural world, diversity is crucial. Increasing the natural diversity on your property will ultimately benefit wildlife.

The new normal is understanding that we can positively or negatively influence the natural world by the plants we choose. Even a few native plants in your garden, combined with those of your neighbors, will be extremely beneficial.

Painted Lady Butterfly on New England Aster

Over the years, I have learned that there is no right or wrong way to use native plants. If you don’t like something, or if a plant isn’t happy, you can always try something else. In most cases, you can just move it. I have to remind myself that these plants are so much better than a turf lawn. I can’t tell you how many times I have been rewarded for my efforts in observing a beautiful flower covered with lively pollinators. To see them flying from plant to plant makes it all worthwhile.

Three Ways To Connect With The Natural World

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Scott Vogt

There is something healing about being outside. I am not a scientist or a psychologist, but a short walk in the great outdoors does wonders for my physical and mental well-being. The problem is that I don’t get outside enough to encounter those helpful connections. It happens too infrequently. I sit in my office staring at my computer screen never venturing outside and then wonder why I feel tired, disconnected, and even a little uneasy when I go home at the end of the day.

If we know we need to go outside to lift ourselves up, why don’t we make it a priority? I don’t know all the reasons, but I have heard that there are medical benefits from being outside for just 15 minutes. This makes me think about why I need to create time in my schedule to be in nature. So, I challenged myself to be outside at least once a day for 15-30 minutes. Here are some ways I plan to connect with the outside world along with some positive benefits I know I will experience.

Get your hands in the soil.

This can be done in many ways, but the most obvious is growing something. I love: the smell of the earth after a rain; the thrill of establishing a new plant; soil on my hands; planting a vegetable garden. Just planting a few plants can have tremendous benefits to you and nature. It is invigorating being in the garden and watching your landscape be transformed each year.

Take in the Sunshine.

It has been cold and gray for the past few weeks and I am craving some sunshine. What is it about the sun that we need? Maybe it is the Vitamin D our bodies need that is best supplied by the sun. I know too much sun is not healthy so I get enough sunlight by sitting under a nice shade tree after puttering around in the yard with a cool drink in my hand. There is a link between sunlight and the prevention of all sorts of diseases. So get outside in the sun for your health.

Another important benefit of the out-of-doors is that it will make you sleep better. Everything I have read about being outside points to the importance of sunlight. When you wake up, and throughout the day, sunlight is really beneficial. Again, don’t get too much, but 15-30 minutes exposed to bright sunlight will help you sleep better. Try to exercise outside, walk your dog during the day, and enjoy that first cup of coffee in the morning in a sunny spot. Not only is the sunlight soothing and relaxing, but the natural world slows us down. When we are bombarded by too many stimuli, we need to remember that the sunlight will help calm us down.

Enjoy the Natural Beauty.

Nature can transport us away from it all. Take a walk through the park or visit a natural area and you will be mentally and physically changed. There are so many fascinating sights to behold: the beauty of a coneflower in bloom or monarchs clustered on a branch. Often I am mesmerized by the richness of what I see. My senses are overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, smells, and feel of the natural environments I find. A short walk each day will change your perspective.

The calming effect of the outside world is something I need in my life currently. Let’s face it, we are worn down over time by the busyness of life. I need moments that energize me, reduce the stress, stimulate my brain in different ways than a computer does, and boost my attention span. Fear and anxiety slip away the more time I spend outside. Boost your spirits. Get outside.

I am not a scientist or doctor but I know how my countenance changes the moment I am outside. Simply put, we need to get outside for better health. In my opinion, 15 minutes outside makes the next hour inside so much better.

Loss of Honey Bees

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Brad Guhr

We are hearing a lot in the news about the loss of honey bees, which we know is a potential threat to our food systems. But before I address this topic further, allow me to say a bit about insect diversity. The world of flowering plants is diverse with an estimated 352,000 species worldwide, but its diversity pales in comparison with the insect world that is estimated to be 15 times more diverse, with a species count of somewhere around 5.5 million species. Approximately 20,000 new species of insects are discovered each year. It is estimated that we may currently know only about 20% of the world’s existing insects. I share this to say that topics related to insects are complex and that we are far from having all the answers about any topic related to pollinators.

Now, back to honey bees. A 2014 U.S. Department of Agriculture report states that honey bee colony loss has experienced an eight-year average loss of 29.6 percent per year. Recognized factors for this decline include viruses and other pathogens, parasites, problems of nutrition from lack of diversity in pollen sources, and sublethal effects of pesticides combining to weaken and kill bee colonies. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is a name that was given about ten years ago to this population loss that is often seen suddenly in bee hives.

Pesticide contamination, and specifically the group of neurotoxic insecticides called neonicotinoids, is coming under increased focus as a possible cause of CCD. The insecticide is applied to the seed coat of many common crops, taken up by plant roots, and translocated to all parts of the plant, including flowers and pollen. Neonicotinoid use in crop protection has increased dramatically in the last 20 years and significant financial investments have been made to implement this effective group of insecticides.

Whether or not neonicotinoids that are showing up in beehives are causing CCD is not something I can answer here. Some European countries think there is a connection and have begun to ban the use of neonicotinoids. The validity of the connection between neonicotinoids and CCD is a complex issue that can only be answered with unbiased, scientific research. If chemical producers feel strongly that neonicotinoids are not contributing to CCD, I think that they would want to be pouring money into reputable research to clear their products from blame.

The viability of natural ecosystems and healthy food systems relies on both native pollinators and honey bee populations. Local farmer and beekeeper, Deborah McSweeney, has invested significant time researching and living this topic and also knows a lot about bee population collapse. She will be our featured presenter next Tuesday evening as part of our Winter Lecture Series. Join us to learn more about this topic.

Winter Solstice: Enjoying the Dark

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Brad Guhr

Today is the Winter Solstice. I enjoy this time of dark mornings and evenings, appreciate seeing sunsets through my office window, and savor the slower pace that seems to be more prevalent this time of the year.

I used to endure this time of year. December 21 marked a dark-to-light turning point that was celebrated, because FINALLY the days were getting longer. As I get older though and long more for that ever-fleeting “down time,” when time is more my own, I increasingly cherish the dark time surrounding the Winter Solstice. The pace at Dyck Arboretum of the Plains is a bit slower now and the prairie is mostly dormant. I also enjoy more time with my immediate and extended families over the holidays. So, maybe my mood is aligning ever closer to these things that are very important to me.

Eleven years ago today, perhaps around the time I started enjoying the dark more, I sat down and wrote the following:

“The Winter Solstice reminds us that our lives revolve around an immense but simple cycle . . . a cycle that can easily be identified by light and dark and warmth and cold . . . a cycle that dwarfs our human existence. We identify much with Christmas at this time of the year, but the celebration of Christmas and our total human existence will only be a small speck on a timeline marked by the number of times the earth revolves around the sun.

Outdoors, Winter Solstice marks the core of a time represented by cold . . . cold means dormancy for some plants and animals and death for others . . . cold helps open the locks that plants place on seeds . . . cold helps us see more clearly by freeing up our view through the trees, and brightening our view of the night sky . . . cold sucks color out of the landscape and reminds us of the importance of shape and structure . . . cold means enjoying sunsets through the silhouettes of trees . . . cold causes tense muscles and keeps you on the move . . . cold makes you feel independent and liberated the longer you stay out in it . . . cold brings the wonderful gift of snow.

Indoors, Winter Solstice is the depth of a time marked by long underwear, cold hands and feet, eating soup, imbibing hot drinks, conversations with friends and family around the dining table, reading, and seeing movies and the magical oasis created by a bed piled high with blankets.

Winter Solstice is the heart of a time that causes rest, recharging, reflection, and renewal. It marks a time when life shifts from yawning itself to sleep to stretching and beginning to wake itself up. It brings light. It brings hope. It is one of the most important transitions of the year.”

I love all the activities that keep me busier during lighter times of the year, and do enjoy the transition back to longer days. But I appreciate them even more because of the dark.

A Year in the Life of the Dyck Arboretum

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Janelle Flory Schrock

For me, December is often a natural time to look back at what I’ve accomplished over the past year and what I am dreaming about doing in the coming year. It’s an annual practice, loosely based off of the “Daily Examen“. It’s not unlike something I saw on Pinterest – decorating a jar or vessel on New Year’s Eve that you then fill throughout the year with things that bring you joy. As a way of reflecting on the year, you can reopen and read your notes at the next New Year’s Eve gathering.

As we approach the end of this calendar year, I wanted to remind myself (and you!) of all the things we experienced here at the Dyck Arboretum in 2015 – what happened on the grounds, who we met, what we accomplished and how we fulfilled our mission.

Please enjoy this photo journey through the year.

Winter

With the calm cold of winter, the activities of wildlife move to the center of our attention. Dave Osborne sent us this photo of a cardinal searching for food and shelter at the arboretum last February.

Cardinal in February 2015. Photo by Dave Osborne.

Early Spring

Winter and early spring are often good seasons to make improvements to the hardscaping here at the arboretum. Here, a crew from Preferred Builders repaved a segment of the path near the birdwatch area.

Repaving the path at Dyck Arboretum 2015

Repaving the path – March 2015

Early spring is also the best time to focus our attention on prairie maintenance. Each year, we mow one section of the Prairie Window Project, we leave fallow a second section and we burn the third section. Brad Guhr, our prairie restoration expert, is meticulous in his planning and safe execution of these prescribed burns.

March 2015 prescribed burn at Dyck Arboretum

“Ecological restoration also involves restoring our relatedness to the wild.” – Dwight Platt

Prescribed burn in March 2015.

With the dreariness of late winter and early spring, I often flee to the greenhouse, where thousands of native and adaptable species grow in February, March and April. By late March, some species like false indigo and bleeding heart start to bloom, transforming the greenhouse into a colorful, ever-changing refuge from the outside.

Bleeding Heart in the Greenhouse at Dyck Arboretum

Bleeding heart in the greenhouse in March 2015

Spring

We were sad to see the big weeping willow become diseased and weak over the past few years. This tree has been a fixture of the Dyck Arboretum landscape for three decades as the site of many wedding ceremonies and a fun place for children to play. Founder Evie Dyck also liked to sit on the hill above the willow for quiet reflection. Finally this past March, for the safety of our visitors, our grounds manager Brett tackled the big task of cutting it down.

Removal of the big willow tree in March 2015

If there is a single event that best shares our mission with our immediate community as well as further into the corners of south central Kansas, it is the FloraKansas Plant Sale. Every year, members and visitors purchase roughly 15,000 native and adaptable plants for their home and professional landscapes. Though one of the busiest times of the year, FloraKansas is my favorite part of what we do here at the Dyck Arboretum. It has been a joy for us to see the enthusiasm for native plants in Kansas grow over the past few years!

Two sisters from McPherson at the spring 2015 FloraKansas plant sale, excited to go plant their native and adaptable plants

Summer

To support the educational work of the arboretum, we also rent our facilities for families and businesses. Working with our wedding renters is a wonderful part of my job during the summer – we are always excited to see the ways in which families bring their own personal style to our garden venue, both indoors and outdoors.

June 2015 wedding reception in the Prairie Pavilion at the Dyck Arboretum

Our most successful mission-driven educational program is the Earth Partnership for Schools institute for Kansas teachers. The week-long summer institute in June has been praised by its past participants as one of the most fulfilling and impactful continuing education experience of their teaching career. Likewise, our staff and volunteers finish this week in early June with smiles on our faces and joy in our hearts – for the passion for education displayed by our Kansas teachers and for the opportunity to provide tools for them to pass this enthusiasm on to their students. If you haven’t heard about this program yet, learn more here!

Botany bouquet June 2015 at Dyck Arboretum

Teachers examine the grass family during the “botany bouquet” exercise.

Earth Partnership for Schools 2015 Dyck Arboretum

The 2015 Kansas Earth Partnership for Schools cohort

Our annual Summer Soirée dinner and silent auction in June has grown to become a wonderful time of connecting with our members and supporters. This year’s program included music from the Tallgrass Express String Band and presentation by Michael Haddock, co-author of Kansas Wildflowers and Weeds, which was published in March 2015 by University of Kansas Press.

Summer Soirée June 2015 at Dyck Arboretum

Arboretum members and supporters chat over appetizers and bid on silent auction items.

Fall

Autumn brought several big changes and large projects for the Arboretum staff. In late August, our new grounds manager/horticulturist Katie Schmidt came on board and promptly infused our offices and grounds with enthusiasm and whimsy. Here she is taking a selfie with her new friend, Crayfish.

Katie Schmidt, new Arboretum Grounds Manager and Horticulturist in September 2015

During the late summer and fall, we also spent many hours developing content for ten new educational signs, which you can expect to see being installed around the grounds this winter. We are excited about the additional learning opportunities these signs will give our visitors.

Educational Signage at Dyck Arboretum 2015

Staff examine a life-size mock-up of the Butterfly Garden sign, created by Flint Hills Design.

A major highlight in September was witnessing an increased number of monarch butterflies during their migration through Kansas. On September 23, staff happened to be in the amphitheater when several hundred monarchs were taking cover from a light rain. The photo below, taken by Brad Guhr, even made it on the Wichita evening news!

Monarch migration through Kansas, September 2015 at Dyck Arboretum

Approximately thirty monarchs rest on a single branch in the amphitheater during migration in September 2015.

Winter

Of course the capstone of our events calendar here at the arboretum is the Winter Luminary Walk. We thank all the volunteers, staff and board members who made this event happen this year! And we especially thank our members and visitors for supporting our mission through your participation in our programs and your presence here on our grounds throughout the year!

Winter Luminary Walk 2015 at Dyck Arboretum

We hope you enjoyed 2015 as much as we did! We look forward to seeing what 2016 will bring!

Pine Cone Botany For Beginners

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Katie Schmidt

The start of December means the start of “pre-Christmas”: the time of year when gifting stress sets in and your friends keep posting pinterest-worthy photos of their DIY holiday decorations. Who has time to hot-glue homemade ornaments and make garlands out of twine? It can induce a crippling case of craft-envy for people who have full time jobs and/or lack artistic prowess of their own.

For weeks I have been collecting pine cones from the Arboretum grounds, wishfully thinking I will find time to incorporate them into a hip holiday craft. The crafting is still on hold, but in the meantime I have become inspired by the cone itself! As the symbol of winter and the star of holiday decorating, we owe it to the humble pine cone to learn a bit about its fascinating botany before we dry it, paint it, wrap it in ribbon and hang it from the door knocker.

Pine Cones 101

Pine cones (and all true cones) are produced by a group of plants called gymnosperms. Pronounced just as it is spelled (gym-no-sperm) and originating from the Greek language, it translates to mean “naked seed”. The seed doesn’t get this label because of exhibitionist behavior, but because, unlike seeds of flowering plants, it develops outside of an ovary.

Public domain image from wikimedia commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ovule-Gymno-Angio-en.svg

Don’t be intimidated by botany lingo, it’s actually pretty simple: embryo sac (nucellus) and dividing cell (megasporocyte or “mama cell”) make up the seed, which in non-flowering plants (gymnosperms) is unprotected by fleshy layers. Image from wikimedia commons

Since gymnosperms do not flower, they do not form a fruit as an ovary for their seed. Their cone is a rigid vessel for the developing seed which rests on the top of a scale. When the cone is mature and dries out the scales will open, dropping seeds.

Male pollen cones do not make great holiday decorations

Male pollen cones, bad for decorating.

Seed bearing cones are female, while pollen filled cones are male. Both sexes of cones grow on the same tree, but male cones grow on lower branches so that the wind can blow pollen up to the female cones. Likely all the cones you will collect for decorating are lady cones, since male cones are significantly smaller, softer and less conspicuous.

Pine Cone Diversity

Pines, cedars, and spruce trees are examples of common gymnosperms, but baldcypress, ginkgos and cycads are all unexpected members of this group as well. Cones from pine and spruce trees are my favorite to decorate with because of their classic Christmas charm and uniform scales, but you may want to hunt down some more exotic cones for yourself! The Arboretum grounds are home to many mature evergreens currently bearing cones, each with their own charisma.

From left to right: Norway Spruce, Pinion Pine, Austrian Pine, Austrian Pine (Opened), Ponderosa Pine, White Pine, Black Hills Spruce.

Lesser-known Cones

Alder flowers look like tiny cones.

I must note that some of my favorite cones are not true cones at all! The alder tree on the east border of the Arboretum makes adorable little cones as big as your thumb tip, yet this species is not a gymnosperm.

These cones are actually flowers that resemble their cone-bearing ancestors; flowering plants evolved from gymnosperms, yet alder trees have retained some characteristic reproductive structures.

If you can’t impress your friends with precision gluing and glitter technique this holiday season, impress them with your botanical knowledge! They may wish they had spent less time slathering peanut butter on pine cones and more time learning about them.

Four Ways to Highlight Elements of Your Natural Landscape.

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Scott Vogt

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 visual interest. Here are some ways we use lights to warm up our prairie garden.

Up-Light Trees, Shrubs and Focal Points:

As trees and shrubs lose their leaves, some remarkable architecture is revealed. What we perceive as a barren, stark landscape in the winter has beautiful, often unnoticed shapes, forms and branching structure. The simple use of well-placed lights such as spot lights under trees and shrubs brings these plants to life. Shop lights with an incandescent light bulb are what we use, but LED can be used as well. Weaving strings of lights through evergreens or draping lights over shrubs illuminate their round shapes. I have even wrapped tree trunks and branches with strings of mini lights. Icicle lights, rope lights, lath wrapped with mini lights, and shooting stars are just a few alternatives to traditional mini lights.

Outline Paths

Strings of mini lights along a path or placed on plants next to the path edge are a fantastic way to lead you through your garden. I have even used rope lights to brighten a path or bridge. If you are going to be in the garden at night, why not light up your way?

Less Is More

Too many lights is too commercial in my opinion. I tend to err on the side of putting out less rather than more. Focus on a few focal points within the landscape. Accent the most important elements with lights, but don’t overdo it. Too many lights will only distract from the natural beauty of your landscape.

We have also been using more LED lights. They use far less energy than conventional outdoor lights and can be connected together in longer lengths.

Avoid Using Colored Lights:

I know this is a preference, but I really believe white lights make everything seem much brighter. At night, they really stand out more than other colors. Warm, white lights illuminate plants and focal points naturally. Red, blues and greens are not normal, authentic and look fake in my opinion.

Bald Cypress

I find new ideas from the web. People more creative than me are always coming up with ways to illuminate the natural elements in the landscape. I try to keep it simple by accenting points of interest. Look at the lights from different perspectives to get the positioning right. By adding just a few lights you can enjoy you landscape even when it is sleeping for the winter.