Top 3 Reasons Plants Emerge @ Different Times

Spring brings about new growth and joy each year. A question we often get this time of year is, ‘My plant died, can you replace it?’ Our go-to response before mid-May is Patience! Plants will emerge at different times, for different reasons, and here are the top 3 reasons to have patience with your plants in spring!

First, plants require different environments to grow. In Nebraska, we have all the weather extremes. Plants like daffodils, tulips, groundcover phlox, and magnolia trees will typically be the first plants to show their flowers. Plants such as hardy hibiscus, rose of sharon, little bluestem and most of the switchgrasses will typically not peak their heads out of the ground until after Mother’s Day or Memorial Day! So, depending on the type of plant you have, some may emerge earlier than others.

Second, the weather can play a significant role in the spring emergence. One item, particularly detrimental to our landscapes, is the constant freeze-thaw cycles in spring and fall. Pair that with a dry winter and early spring, and you have a potential landscape disaster! So, with that set to the side, you may have plants that emerge early (listed above), which is all good if we don’t experience a hard freeze, thus ruining the flowers. So, you may have the early season flowers all gorgeous and putting on their best show — enjoy it! I wonder if the latecomers have tapped into Mother Nature’s vibe and understand we have the temperature ups and downs and know better than to sprout up, too early?

Lastly, the location will play a role in the spring push. Warmer sites like, around concrete, near a brick foundation on the east, south, or west side of a building, a south-facing slope, will tend to warm up more quickly than their northern counterparts. These sites may bring the typically late plants to develop more quickly, which can be damaging if we have freezing temps!

So, we are at the beginning of May and as gardeners, landscapers, and outdoor enthusiasts, we have the patience to wait and see what Mother Nature brings! If you have any questions, be sure to stop by our garden shop, email or call Nebraska Nursery & Color Gardens!

Spring Watering

Hello there!

    Did you know that this summer Nebraska Nursery is celebrating our 10^th year at 4420 Lucile Drive? Although Nebraska Nursery & Color Gardens has been in business much longer, these last 10 years have been great getting to know all of you and we absolutely love being a part of the Preserve neighborhood. As we prepare for spring, I want to provide you some tips for this record-breaking dry winter and suggest taking the following extra steps this spring. 

Lawn – You may need to water your yard earlier than normal this spring. If you received an inch or so of rain last week, then you should wait about a week, but when temps are above 45 and we have not received additional rain, consider putting a screw driver into your yard and see at what depth the ground is frozen. If not frozen in the first few inches, then go ahead and water. When watering, it should only be for about 10-15 mins, and allowing for a slow soak. If we do not get any additional significant moisture, you could water once over next few weeks and then again in later April. 

• Keep in mind we may still see freezing temps, especially overnight, so if you do water be sure to winterize your irrigation system again and/or disconnect hoses.

Perennials – Spring perennial care this year will be so important with the dry winter and fluctuating temps, and who knows what is yet to come! It is okay to water perennials now but with our recent rain you should wait a week or two and then check the soil around your plants. Keep in mind, if we do get 1/2″ of rain in any given week during this late winter/early spring, that will take care of watering for that week. 

• It is important to remember the soil is still cool, so the plants are not taking as much water yet and it’s important not to overwater. Check the soil moisture before you water! If you question if the soil is wet enough, wait another few days. It is better to be on the dry side than be too wet, which can lead to root rot and kill the plant.
• Pruning – It is time to start pruning, starting now and until the new growth starts to pop.  This is the ideal time to clean up last year’s foliage. Most perennials can be cut down to 3″-4″ above grade. Exceptions can be dianthus, coral bells, and any other semi-evergreen plants that still has good foliage from last year. In this case, simply pull out the brown and crispy foliage. Putting compost at the dripline of the plant is a natural way to create a healthy environment for the root system. 
• Fertilize – Now is NOT the time to fertilize your perennials. Putting fertilizer on now will encourage extra growth that the plant may not be able to maintain throughout the season.

Trees – Your older established trees can benefit from early season watering. The majority of the feeder roots will be within a foot of the top of the soil. Watering under the canopy and beyond is important to completely water the tree. 

• Your younger trees (trees less than 3 years old) are considered to be a new tree. Be sure to water the original root ball around the hole where the tree was planted, as well as under the canopy and just beyond. 

As always, email us with any questions at info@colorgardens.com and please watch for updates on our spring open house at 4420 Lucile Dr., on Saturday, April 30th!

                                      Happy Spring!

                                        Angie

We Love Trees: Ginkgo

Ginkgo

Ginkgo trees are an ancient tree that some consider living fossils. They are the only surviving member from a group of plants from the dinosaur era! They have distinct fan-shaped leaves with almost parallel veins. They can be somewhat slow-growing and branching structure can be sparse when younger, but a mature specimen with its spectacular yellow fall color is a sight to see! Ginkgo trees don’t like late spring frosts, since they push all of their leaves out at once. If one occurs, it might take until midsummer to put on new growth. Pay attention to cultivar for fall color and choose only male varieties – female trees drop a fleshy seed pod with a very bad odor!

Notable Characteristics

Unique fan shaped leaves

Some cultivars have outstanding yellow fall color

Urban tolerant and suitable for lawn or street tree

Very few insect or disease problems

How To Use In The Landscape

Ginkgos work great for a street, lawn, or shade tree. Their great fall color and ability to lose all of their leaves at once for easy cleanup more than make up for their slow growth.

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Nebraska Nursery & Color Gardens

Sources:

https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeGuide/treedetail.cfm?itemID=1092

https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/ginkgo

https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/tree_alternatives/autumn_gold_ginkgo

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c910

Trees We Love: Bur Oak

BUR OAK

Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) is an outstanding tree to have in your landscape, if you have the room. They are one of the few native oaks in Nebraska. Yes, I know it’s surprising, but we can grow trees in Nebraska! Believe it or not, we even have our own forest! Back to the Bur Oak…They have thick bark that has helped them resist fire damage and have nicely shaped, lobed leaves that turn yellow/brown in the fall. They tend to have a deeper root system for good drought tolerance. They grow well in the alkaline soils here in Nebraska. Bur Oaks prefer full sun and have some of the largest acorns, which wildlife such as squirrels and birds enjoy. They will typically grow around 75′ tall and wide. Some say it is slow-growing, but it tends to be faster growing when younger, with 1 foot per year of growth on average depending on site conditions.

Notable Characteristics

Thick, corky bark

Can be very long-lived – 300 years or more

Drought tolerant

How To Use In The Landscape

Bur Oak makes a great shade tree and likes plenty of room to grow. Use it to help with cooling costs and to provide relief from the summer heat. It is also a great tree to support wildlife in your area.

Sources:

https://www.gardenguides.com/info_8340382_bur-oak-tree.html

https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/treedetail.cfm?itemID=874

https://nfs.unl.edu/woody-plants/bur-oak

https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/bur-oak

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Nebraska Nursery & Color Gardens

Girdling Roots

Girdling Roots

I would venture to say the portion of your plant that is hidden underground might be more important than above ground. Just like any building structures, a plant is only as good as its “foundation”. What is a plants foundation? Its root system.

I am going to talk about one specific problem that can happen: girdling roots. A girdling root is a root that crosses over the neighboring roots and partially wraps itself around the base of the tree. This is not an ideal situation. The root will eventually grow larger and slowly cut off vital nutrients to the tree. This will be seen in the canopy of the tree either slowly over many years or a rapid decline once the root shuts off the nutrients to the tree. The canopy will die back in areas that correlate with the side of the trunk that is being affected.

Girdling roots can be cut if caught young enough. A lot of times they are hard to diagnose until it is too late. If the root has any substantial size, be careful with cutting it because you can affect not only nutrient uptake to the tree, but also stability of the tree to survive wind and storms.

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How Does YOUR Landscape Grow?

How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

They say no two fingerprints are alike. You could say the same about plants because of the external factors that can influence their growth and ultimately their overall look.

Soil compaction is a common occurrence in residential yards. This can affect not only your plants root system, but also its overall vigor.  Tree roots will tend to surface more often in compacted lawns. Water doesn’t drain as well and will have a negative impact on your plants.

Sidewalks or concrete is another external factors affecting plants. You will see this most notably with tree roots bubbling up by the sidewalk or grass that dies along cement due to excessive heat and lack of moisture.

Shade can affect plant growth and is often overlooked due to maturing landscapes. Plants aren’t stagnant and are living things, therefore, they are constantly growing and changing. This means a yard full of sun 10 years ago might be partial or full shade now. This lack of sun for sun-loving plants can cause them to decline. Landscapes need rejuvenated every now and then to keep up with the ever changing aspect of plants.

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Planting Seeds for the Future

Planting Seeds For The Future

Do you ever wonder why when we get older, we can lose our sense of awe and wonder of the natural world around us? Is there a way we can keep that excitement alive in the next generation? I think part of the answer lies with our own actions as parents.

I have found through experience of being a parent with young kids and from my own childhood that kids are like sponges. That “soak up” everything they experience around them. You can see this in the way they emulate what they have heard or seen. This is a very fast way of learning, by learning from others. And with that said, the next generation will either learn to love being outside with nature or not partly by the environment we provide for them. The more often we can get them outside playing in the dirt, participating with a vegetable garden, helping plant a tree, etc., might make them more likely to enjoy doing activities outside as an adult.

Having a love for nature and our environment around us is engrained in us as human beings. Yet, that love can be lost when we get older due to our busy lives and our unwillingness to slow down and “smell the roses”. Let’s keep that awe and inspiration of all things living with our next generation so that they can be good stewards of the earth that has been entrusted to us.

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Edible Landscaping

EDIBLE LANDSCAPING

If you have heard the term ‘edible landscaping’ and have wondered what that means, I am sure you are in good company. It doesn’t mean we are turning to the landscape for more sources of fiber in our diet (although according to the professionals, most of us could probably use more fiber in our diet ;).

Edible landscaping is a term used when certain plants can be used for beauty and consumption. There are a number of plants that can do double duty for your landscape. Some of the most common include chokeberry, serviceberry, and blueberry. People also will use sunflowers, chives, okra, kale, and others for their ornamental qualities as well as being edible. Herbs such as oregano and thyme can be used for groundcovers. Just be sure to have them contained because certain herbs, like mint, can be invasive. You can also use strawberries for ground cover in areas where there won’t be foot traffic.

Before you start taste testing your plants make sure you know what you are eating. If in doubt, leave it alone, let the wildlife enjoy the food, and you can enjoy the beauty if provides!

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Composting

The Benefits Of Compost

There are a lot of things we can do right for our plants. One of the best “multi-taskers” for our plants is compost. Here a few ways your landscape can benefit from compost.

Nutrients

Compost can be made from most organic material (excluding meats, oils, citrus, and dairy) and that is one of the reasons it is so nutritious for your plants. Grass clippings, leaves, vegetable garden scraps, and such can all be used to make compost. Turn the pile once a week or so until it smells earthy and looks like black dirt and you’re done.

Soil Aeration

Vertical composting, which is digging out 2” vertical holes 12” to 18” deep and filling with compost, allows air, water, and nutrients to reach roots. It helps in situations where the soil is compacted and there is plant decline.

Water Retention

Compost has the ability to retain water better than some soils and therefore will help with seed germination on an overseeded or new planted lawn or vegetable garden. It will also provide nutrients for the new seedlings.

With all of the benefits of compost, look to supplement your yard or garden this year for a more lush, green landscape.

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Planting Trees & Shrubs

Dig It!

Planting a tree or shrub is more than just digging a hole and putting it in the ground. Make sure you take the proper steps to assist your plant’s health in the future.

First, make sure the site conditions fit the growing requirements for your plant. Plants grow in different climate zones – Lincoln, NE is zone 5. Also, are you planting in sun or shade? An area that floods or well drained soil? What is the quality of the soil? These are things to consider long before purchasing a plant or digging your first shovel full.

When the site conditions are figured out, then it’s time to plant. Planting depth is a very important thing to remember. Don’t plant any deeper than how it’s planted in the container. Trees and plants will decline over time and may eventually die if planted to deep. Generally speaking, you want the crown of the plant (where the trunk or branches connect to the roots) to be planted at, or above the soil grade level. Burying the crown of the plant may cause the tree or shrub to decline over time.

If planting a container tree or shrub, you can score, or cut, a few roots to open up and feather out the root ball. This helps with minimizing girdling roots and future growth of roots. Also, if you are amending the soil around the root ball with compost or other amendments, make sure half of it is native soil to help the plant acclimate to its new environment.

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Nebraska Nursery & Color Gardens