KCG 5May16

The Kansas City

GARDENER A Monthly Guide to Successful Gardening

May 2016

Fabulous foliage and flowers of

Ninebark Hot Hostas for Cool Shade Celebrating 85 Years of Roses Make Your Yard a Biodiversity Haven Garden Tours, Plant Sales, plus more events

It’s Water Garden Season!

Make plans To Visit Swan’s Water Gardens, The Only Full Service Water Garden Center In The Entire Kansas City Area. We Carry Everything You Need For That Dream Water Garden. With The Largest Inventory And Selection Of Pond Supplies, Aquatic Plants and Flowers Including The Ever Popular Lotus, Tropical And Hardy Water Lilies With Too Numerous Varieties To List. We Stock Butterfly Koi, Regular Koi, Sarasa Comets, Shubunkins And The Ever Popular Gold Fish. Serving Kansas City For Over 20 Years.

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THE PRODUCE AISLE IS NO MATCH FOR THE VEGGIE GARDEN THAT EXISTS IN YOUR MIND. HERE’S HOW TO MAKE THOSE TOMATOES A REALITY.

TILL THE FIELDS, PREP THE SOIL. Dig it up. Remove rocks and pull the weeds out. Roots, too.

STUDY BEFORE THE TEST. Is your soil sandy or full of clay? Does it drain well or remain soggy? Improve it with the right type of Black and Gold® soil for a superior harvest.

TAKE THE TEST. Different crops like different soil. What are you planting and what will they like?

Acidic or Alkaline? Test it out with a soil test kit from Westlake Ace. Once you know, you can amend as needed.

MAKE A PLAN. Sketch your garden. Then use it as a guide to lay out stakes to mark where the rows will go. Support plants, like peas and beans, with trellises or sturdy stakes.

Support vine plants like cukes, squash and melons with mounds of earth.

raise the stakes

WITH RAISED GARDEN BEDS. The benefits of raised garden beds are plentiful and delicious. Why? They: keep pathway weeds from your garden soil prevent soil compaction provide good drainage serve as a barrier to pests such as slugs and snails can create a garden any size or shape Plus, the sides of the beds keep precious garden soil from being eroded or washed away during heavy rains. plants are naturally nurturing

SO PLACE ‘EM SIDE-BY-SIDE. Give your crops a companion and marvel at the rewards. Asparagus helps tomatoes grow, beans help eggplant, beets help garlic, carrots help onions, lettuce helps radishes and you help yourself. Bon appetit.

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The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

3

The Kansas City

editor’s notes

GARDENER A Monthly Guide to Successful Gardening

Independently owned and operated since 1996

Memories and Inspiration

Publisher Michael Cavanaugh Editor Elizabeth Cavanaugh Contributors Tom DePaepe Nik and Theresa Hiremath Nolan Kappelman Lenora Larson Susan Mertz Rob Mortko Dennis Patton Judy Penner Bill Ruppert Diane Swan Scott Woodbury Distribution Publishers Delivery Solutions, Inc.

How to Reach Us ...

P.O. Box 8725 Prairie Village, KS 66208 Phone: 913-648-4728 For advertising information contact Michael Cavanaugh at mike@kcgmag.com Submit editorial questions to Elizabeth Cavanaugh at elizabeth@kcgmag.com

See us on the Web: www.kcgmag.com

Don’t Miss A Single Issue!

Get a subscription for yourself or your favorite gardener.

See page 41.

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May 2016 | kcgmag.com

T

he first item on the garden to-do list was crossed off last month. It was a big one. The aging ash tree must go. It had been in steady decline over the years, and it was time to remove it before the tree damaged our property.

If you struggle with that decision in your landscape, read Tom DePaepe’s article, “Old Trees,” on page 36. He reminds us that trees are not forever.

Thinking about having that tree cut down was melancholy for me.

Memories rushed back to the day we moved into our house, more than 20 years ago. Hanging from this awesome tree was a swing suitable for a toddler, thoughtfully left by the previous owners. Our youngest was an infant at the time.

It was plastic and molded into the shape of an airplane. The older kids soon required that the airplane be replaced with “a real swing.”

So began the frightening world of Dad’s Underdogs. “Higher, Dad, please!” Watching from the kitchen window back then, I let those special times fill my heart. And today, I’m grateful for memories of those special times.

Speaking of lists, have you noticed the number of garden tours and plant sales coming up? The details are scattered throughout these pages, and a complete list can be found in the “Upcoming Events” section, starting on page 37.

It’s peak season for gardeners to journey through the landscapes of fellow gardeners, who have worked tirelessly perfecting their garden showcase.

With notebook and camera in hand, this is the time to get inspired. Take lots of pictures and scribble plenty of notes and diagrams for future reference. Notice the collection of trees and shrubs, plants and pairings. And remember it’s not all about colorful blooms, but also foliage textures. These elements make for an interesting display.

This is a favorite season for me. My calendar is full of plant sales and garden tours happening, as well as dates and times of local farmers’ markets. If I only hit a few, I’m okay with that. Inspiration

is everywhere and I’m looking for more.

Finally, there is sad news to report in our gardening community.

Our dear friend and monthly contributor Patrick Muir passed away last month. You might recall he wrote “Patrick’s Picks”, a column that focused on his top selections on most anything garden related – from garden gifts to ornamental grasses, the best annuals for containers, exciting poinsettias and his most-liked garden websites and blogs. His articles were entertaining as well as educational. He deeply wanted every gardener to have grand success in the garden. Our readers often ask about Patrick, so I felt it was appropriate to mention it here.

Read more about Patrick’s life on page 16. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who knew and loved him during their time of sorrow. I wish you peace.

I’ll see you in the garden!

In this issue May 2016 • Vol. 21 No. 5 Ask the Experts ........................ 6 Rose Report ............................ 8 Pesticide Disposal .................... 10 Make Your Yard a Haven ......... 12 Pollinator Symposium ............... 14 Goodbye to Patrick Muir .......... 16 The Bird Brain ......................... 18 Become a Master Gardener ..... 19 85 Years of Roses ................... 20 Ninebark ................................ 22 Hot Hostas for Cool Shade ....... 24

about the cover ...

Aquatic Plants ......................... 26 Powell Garden Events .............. 27 Private Gardens on Tour ........... 28 Monarchs in Kansas City ......... 30 Union Hill Tour ........................ 33 Wornall/Majors Hosts Tours ..... 35 Old Trees ............................... 36 Upcoming Events ..................... 37 Garden Calendar .................... 42 Professional’s Corner ................ 43 Hotlines .................................. 43

If there is room for only one ninebark, First Edition’s Amber Jubilee™ would be a good choice. Learn more varieties beginning on page 22. Photo courtesy of firsteditionsplants.com.

12

24

© 2016, All rights reserved.

Plants don’t get to choose, but you do.

Osmocote® Smart-Release® Plant Food Flower & Vegetable feeds continuously and consistently for up to 4 full months.

If you grow your own, grow with Osmocote®.

The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

5

Ask the Experts!

Readers share their questions about landscape issues, and DENNIS PATTON gives expert tips and advice.

3,000

$

*1 The trick to control winter gerof plants called winter annuals. It GET RID OF CHICKWEED OFF 5E Series along with henbit germinates in the minating weeds is to treat them Question: I have a light green 5045E and 5055E cool, moist while they are small and estabweed all over my backyard, and –– OR ––days of late September MFWD, models Once the weed starts to and October. In the fall they are2015lishing. was told it’s chickweed. I have tried small for weeds hugging the soil surflower and grow robustly in the to spray it with a herbicide and it months spring they are next to impossiface and about the size of a quarter. does not seem to phase it. How do financing –– AND –– They overwinter in this state. As ble to eradicate. Broadleaf herbiI get rid of this weed in my lawn? warmer OFF weather arrives in the late cides such as Trimec, Triclopyr, or Answer: Chickweed has 1 Implement Bonus* winter these weeds will grow like Carfentrazone are best applied in been very common this spring. weeds and erupt in the lawn. the warm days of fall, late October Chickweed is referred to as a group NEW S240 SPORT • Turbocharged PowerTech™ engine through early November. As the weeds are establishing the herbi• Independent 540 PTO § cides are extremely effective as • Category 1 and 2 compatible NEW S240 SPORT the plants slowly die out over the Z535M ZTrak™ winter.

Save 1 § Basically when they are growwith $ ing wildly in the spring the best the603 cc)* • 18.5 hp (13.8 kW, • 42-in. mower deck course of action is to use the lawn 1 Family 3E Series • Bumper-to-bumper 3-year/ mower and cut them off as the 1023E and 1025R• 18.5 3032E and 3038E hp (13.8 kW, 603 cc)* 200-hour warranty** herbicides just knock back.

Also CHALLENGE • 42-in. mower deck broadleaf herbicides applied in the Z535M ZTrak Residential Mower • Bumper-to-bumper 3-year/ • 25 hp* (18.6 kW, 724 cc) spring tend to drift and damage 200-hour warranty** • NEW 48-in. or 54-in. Accel Deep™ Deck other plants emerging. The good • 8.5-mph ground speed news is once it starts to warm up • 4-year/300-hour bumper-toBUILT RIGHT. bumper warranty** in April or May the plants will be Z235 PRICED RIGHT. WORK HARD. finished and disappear. Of course • 20 hp (14.9 kW, 656 cc)* • Final Tier 4-compliant engines • iMatch™ Quick-Hitch compatible • 42-in. mower deck SPEND SMART. they will have dropped new seeds • iMatch Quick-Hitch compatible • 2-speed hydro transmission BUILT RIGHT. • Bumper-to-bumper 2-year/ Z235 just waiting for fall. Be sure to 120-hour warranty** PRICED RIGHT. • 2-speed hydro transmission • 4WD and power steering • 20 hp (14.9 kW, 656 cc)* mark your calendar now so you • 42-in. mower deck • Category 1, 3-point hitch don’t forget to take action this fall.

• Bumper-to-bumper 2-year/ OFF*2warranty** 120-hour

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STARTING AT 9,799 120-hour warranty**

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for

financing

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$ 1,499 REYNOLDS LAWN AND LEISURE, INC. 2,499

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BEST TIME TO MOVE DAFFODILS Question: I have several clumpsWith ofpurchase daffodils that did not of 2 implements bloom this spring.

They –– AND –– are older clumps and now in the shade.

3 for time to *move When is a good months them? financing Answer: Daffodils like all bulbs should not beJohnDeere.com/Ag disturbed until

0%

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their green foliage has yellowed and started to die. Bulbs need this green growth to make food for next year’s blooms. You have two options of when to move. One is to wait this spring until the foliage yellows. Then you can lift the bulbs, divide and either replant or hold in a cooler, dry location and replant in the fall, which is the traditional planting time.

The second option is to mark the location of the clumps with a flag and then dig and divide in September. There are advantages of each method but the bottom line is you get the same end results.

Personally I like to dig when the foliage starts to yellow as that way I know for sure where the clump is located. Keep in mind that next year the flowering will probably be less as the bulbs have not had a chance to make more energy in a sunnier location. The reason is that

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§ Prices and models may vary by dealer. Manufacturer suggested list price at $2,499 on S240 Sport, $1,499 on D105 and $2,499 on Z235. Prices are suggested retail 1 $150only retail bonus available with purchase of anyatnew Z535M ZTrak authorized Johnequipment Deere dealer March 1, price.

2016,Attachments through prices and are subject to change without notice any time.

Dealer mayMower sell forfrom less. an Shown with optional not from included in the and sold separately.

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Mayimplements 2, 2016. Must present completed, Test Drive Request form to an authorized John Deere dealer at the time of purchase. Available at *The engine horsepower anddealers. torque information arewill provided by the engine be used for comparison only. Actual operating horsepower participating John Deere Retail bonus be deducted from manufacturer the purchasetoprice.

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Refer to the engine manufacturer’s website for additional information. one form per person per purchase. See your John Deere dealer for further details.

2 **Term to years or hours used,towhichever comes first, andcredit varieswith by model. theFinancial.

LIMITED WARRANTY NEWfor JOHN TURF UTILITY Offer limited ends May 2, 2016.

Subject approved installment John See Deere Fixed rateFOR of 0.0% 60 DEERE months.

GetAND $500 off 1 Family EQUIPMENT at JohnDeere.com/Warranty and JohnDeere.ca/TUWarranty for details. John Deere’s green and yellow color scheme, the leaping deer symbol and § Tractors in addition to financing options and requires the purchase of two John Deere or Frontier implements. Some restrictions apply, so see your Prices DEERE and models may vary byofdealer.

JOHN are trademarks Deere Manufacturer & Company. suggested list price at $2,499 on S240 Sport, $1,499 on D105 and $2,499 on Z235. Prices are suggested retail dealer forand details and other financing options. prices only are subject to change without notice at any time. Dealer may sell for less. Shown with optional equipment not included in the price. Attachments ¥ Manufacturer’s of Available power (ISO) PER 97/68/EC. and implements soldestimate separately. at participating dealers. § Prices andhorsepower models may vary by dealer.

Manufacturer suggested list price of $9,799toon XUV590i.purposes Prices are suggested retail prices *The engine and torque information are provided by the engine manufacturer benew usedGator for comparison only.

Actual operating horsepower A0D03KKCU2A62195only and are to change notice at anywebsite time. Dealer may sellinformation. for less. Shown with optional equipment not included in the price. and torque will subject be less. Refer to the without engine manufacturer’s for additional **Term limited to years or hours used, comes first, and varies apply; by model.

Seespecial the LIMITED JOHN DEERE TURF AND UTILITY Attachments and implements soldwhichever separately.

Some restrictions other ratesWARRANTY and terms FOR mayNEW be available, so see your dealer for details EQUIPMENT at JohnDeere.com/Warranty for details.

John or Deere’s green andrefer yellowtocolor the operating leaping deerinformation symbol and on and other financing options. Availableand at JohnDeere.ca/TUWarranty participating dealers. Before operating riding, always the scheme, safety and JOHN DEERE are of Deeremanual. & Company. the vehicle andtrademarks in the operator’s Actual vehicle top speed may vary based on belt wear, tire selection, vehicle tow weight, fuel condition,

available at:

Raised bed gardening is a popular growing technique used

terrain and other environmental factors. *The engine horsepower and torque information for non-Deere engines are provided by the engine manufacturer to be used for comparison world-wide for vegetables, fruits and flowers.

A0D03KKCU2A62195purposes only. Actual operating horsepower and torque will be less. Refer to the engine manufacturer’s website for additional information.

• Gardening is made possible in difficult to grow areas. • Soil tempera**Term limited to years or hours used, whichever comes first, and varies by model. See the LIMITED WARRANTY FOR NEW JOHN DEERE TURF AND UTILITY EQUIPMENT at JOHNDEERE.COM or JohnDeere.ca/TUWarranty for details. John Deere’s green and yellow color scheme, the leaping deer * Offer valid 2/3/2015 through 4/30/2015. Subject to approved installment credit with John Deere Financial. Implement bonus is in addition to Low Rate financing tures are higher. • Better drainage while retaining water in root zone. symbol and JOHN DEERE are trademarks of Deere & Company.

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and requires the purchase of 2 or more qualifying John Deere or Frontier Implements. $3,000 OFF or Fixed Rate of 0.0% for 60 months and $1,000 OFF implement • Roots grow vigorously in oxygen rich mix. • Easier to maintain. bonus on MFWD, 2015 model year 5045E and 5055E Tractors. 2 $1,000 OFF or Fixed Rate of 0.0% for 60 months and $500 OFF implement bonus on 1023E and A0B03KKCU2A66545-00019044 1025R Tractors. 3 Fixed Rate of 0.0% for 60 months and $1,250 OFF implement bonus on 3032E and 3038E Tractors. Some restrictions apply; other special rates and terms may be available, so see your dealer for details and other financing options. Valid only at participating US Dealers.

May 2016 | kcgmag.com A0D03KKCU2F62253-

95th & Mission, OP, KS

913-649-0111

once the foliage starts to die this spring the flower bud has already been set for next year.

PINE NEEDLES AS MULCH Question: I have several pine trees that drop a large amount of needles each fall. Can I use the needles as mulch?

Answer: Pine straw is an acceptable form of mulch. You just don’t see it being used that much in the Kansas City area as we don’t have numerous pines. In the south, pine straw is one of the most commonly used mulches. Mulches tend to be recycled materials from a somewhat local source.

The simplest way to use the needles is just to let them lay under the pine trees. Usually the grass doesn’t thrive in this dry shady area. The needles can also be raked and used in the flower or vegetable garden. Some people are concerned that they will acidify the soil. I would not worry about this as normally our soils tend to run high in pH. Also, the amount of pines needles it would take to alter the level would be impossible to apply in your lifetime. So go ahead and recycle your pines needles. It is

a good thing and might save you a little money.

CONTROLLING SQUASH PROBLEMS Question: The last several years I have had a terrible time growing squash. Between the squash bugs and squash vine borer the plants die before I get a good crop. Do you have any suggestions for how to get this problem under control?

Answer: Yes, I have a surefire solution to your problem. Give up growing squash and visit a local farmers market! These two pest problems are next to impossible.

I can feel your pain as I have the same issues. I took my own advice, gave up and now visit the market.

If you want to succeed with squash I think your best bet is chemical applications. Organic controls are not effective but hand removal of the

egg cases from the underside of the leaves are effective but time consuming for the squash bugs.

Chemical controls would include carbaryl, permethrin, bifenthrin or esfenvalerate. These are contact insecticides and thorough coverage of the upper and lower surface of the leaves as well as all the stems of the plant is a must.

Follow labeled instructions as they must be reapplied during the season. They can also be toxic to the pollinators fertilizing your flowers so apply only when they are not active. Another strategy is to plant later in the year around mid-July.

Usually the movement of vine borers and squash bug movement is lower later in the season. It is not always a solution but I have had better luck with summer squash with a late-season planting.

HOLES IN TREE BARK Question: This spring I noticed a location on my tree where it was riddled with small holes about the size of a straw. The strange part is they were almost in rows, stacked on top of each other. What insect caused this problem and what are the controls?

Answer: Your issue is not with insects but birds, mainly yellowbellied sapsuckers. Sapsuckers like to damage the bark layer of many trees. This pecking damage results in sap flow and all sorts of insects getting stuck in the sticky, sugary substance. The birds then revisit this location over and over as a source of food. They enjoy feasting on the energy-filled mixture of sugar and protein. In the big picture the birds don’t want to kill their dinner buffet, just injure it enough to provide a nice food supply.

Controls range from doing nothing and letting nature run its course of wrapping the damaged area with mess wire or tree wrap to protect from feeding. Usually the damage is done before you see it. If you do wrap the tree with something make sure it does not cut into the bark or if forgotten, girdles the branch as the tree grows. Personally I find this damage fascinating.

Dennis Patton is the horticulture agent for Johnson County K-State Research and Extension. For free information fact sheets, visit www.johnson.ksu.edu, or call the Extension office at 913-715-7000.

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The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

7

Rose Report Kansas City’s expert rosarian JUDY PENNER shares her methods for spraying and fertilizing roses.

T

his year we have had a mild winter and the roses are leafed out earlier than normal. I am writing this on April 3rd and will be applying a fungicide to the roses and the rose beds this week. I apply the fungicide to the rose beds since this is where the spores for blackspot overwinter. I recommend a contact fungicide be used to attack the spores on this initial spray. By spraying early you will be preventing some of the damage blackspot can do to your roses. I also recommend alternating your fungicide each time you spray so your roses won’t build up a resistance to the fungicide.

I have been reducing the number of sprays to the garden in recent years by choosing fungicides that last longer and spraying early as a preventative step.

8

May 2016 | kcgmag.com

I have also reduced the amount of insecticide I spray by only spraying when I see insects.

One exception to this is Rose Midge. Three years ago I noticed that the Tahitian Sunset roses had beautiful foliage but no bloom and on further inspection I saw the buds had turned black and shriveled up.

This is always a symptom of Rose Midge damage. The midge fly lays eggs in the bud and the larvae destroy the bud turning it black. I use Merit granular in the soil starting in May and once a month until August and I spray with an insecticide targeting the midge every 2 to 4 weeks. I have gotten better control with this program and am hopeful to not have this as an ongoing problem in the future.

Now is the time to fertilize your roses. I used to use a chemical fer-

Rose Midge and the damage it does. tilizer with an insecticide that had a terrible odor and also had to be worked into the soil. I did not like the idea of putting so much chemical into our soil so I have been

using natural fertilizers since 2009 in the Loose Park Rose Garden with great success. These fertilizers (Sure Bloom 6-7-6, Mushroom Stuff and Sure Bloom Natural) are liquid so they are easy to apply and when applied you can almost see the new growth the next day! I fertilize once a month and stop fertilizing in September. I also use Earth Right a soil conditioner which loosens compacted soil and helps plants uptake nutrients. Remember to always water before fertilizing and always water well after fertilizing your roses.

Remember to take time to smell the roses!

Judy Penner is Expert Rosarian at Loose Park, Kansas City, Mo. You may reach her at judy.penner@ kcmo.org.

2016

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The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

9

Pesticide Disposal in Johnson County, KS

By Nolan Kappelman

S

pring is finally here and I’m so excited, I wet my plants.

If you’re getting ready to wet your plants too, you may also be taking stock of pesticides and herbicides in the garden shed.

Chemicals that you no longer need or want to use or are just too old should not go in the regular trash. But where can you dispose of old pesticides and herbicides?

Johnson County’s Department of Health and Environment offers up a simple answer: take it to your local household hazardous waste disposal program.

Pesticides and herbicides are classified as poisons, a hazardous waste. Products such as RoundUp, Weed B Gon, and Sevin Dust are just a few common examples.

Poisons can cause serious harm when they enter our water system

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May 2016 | kcgmag.com

and pose a risk not only to us but also our environment. Killing off a few aphids at your home garden isn’t an issue, but when hundreds or thousands of bottles accumulate in the garbage, it can have a serious impact! Old poisons that are banned can pose an even greater risk such as DDT, chlordane, and dioxins.

Johnson County’s Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) located in Mission, Kansas, provides safe and responsible hazardous waste disposal service to all Johnson County residents. Last year Johnson County’s HHW processed over 15,000 pounds of poison. Residents drop off poison and other hazardous waste for staff to sort, process, and store in a secure facility. A disposal company transports the hazardous waste for safe disposal.

Poisons are typically incinerated at a certified incineration facility.

Here are a few tips for successful poison disposal: • Be sure containers are sealed and not leaking.

• Label products that are no longer in their original container.

• Pack your items in boxes; no trash bags, please.

• Never mix chemicals! Mixing can cause dangerous reactions.

Poisons are not the only waste accepted at Johnson County’s HHW. They accept most hazardous waste including latex paint, automotive fluids, household cleaners, home repair, wood stains, art supplies, pool chemicals, light bulbs, tires, and more. The facility is open Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and select Saturdays. All

drop offs are by appointment only.

Simply visit http://hhwscheduler. jocogov.org/ to schedule a drop off, or call (913) 715-6907. A full list of accepted materials can be found at www.jocogov.org.

Although this service is only available to residents of Johnson County there are services for hazardous waste disposal throughout the metro: Wyandotte County: 2443 South 88th Street, Kansas City, KS 66111; (816) 573-5400 Kansas City, Missouri: 4707 Deramus Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64120; (816) 513-8400 Nolan Kappelman, is a home garden enthusiast, and Senior Hazardous Material Technician with Kansas Department of Health & Environment.

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The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

11

Photo by Chan Mahanta.

Photo by Scott Woodbury.

Use a garden hose to create the shape of a new planting bed.

Why not plant natives that are attractive to insects and other beneficial creatures.

Make Your Yard A Biodiversity Haven SCOTT WOODBURY reminds gardeners of how simple changes in the landscape reduce turf grass footprint.

N

ow would be a great time to reduce your turf grass footprint and add native plants to your yard. Perhaps you need to extend a shady flower bed to encompass a tree trunk for

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easier mowing. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), star tickseed, (Coreopsis pubescens), and palm sedge (Carex muskingumensis) work well in part shade. Low, wet areas are also difficult to mow,

so why not plant them with native wet-loving perennials like marsh milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida var. umbrosa), and fox sedge (Carex vulpinoidea).

Have you been wanting to “unsquare” your yard? Lay a garden hose down on the lawn to shape new or existing planting beds. Leave the hose out for several days and play with various curves until you are satisfied. When you are happy with the new design you can remove the grass many ways. Dig it up with a sharp, straight-edge shovel, rent a sod-cutter, solarize with plastic, or carefully spray with an herbicide

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like glyphosate. It’s your choice, but do remember to not bite off more than you can chew.

If you have gaps in an existing sunny flowerbed, native annuals like Helen’s flower (Helenium amarum), red whiskers (Polanisia dodecadra), or palafox (Palafoxia callosa) may do the trick. These plants also have long bloom times and a candy-apple attraction to pollinators.

Many of the plants in our neighborhoods are attractive to humans, but not to insects and many other beneficial creatures. For instance, Annabelle and blue hydrangeas, daylily, and hosta come to mind.

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with similar natives such as wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), copper iris (Iris fulva) and little-flower alumroot (Heuchera puberula)? I guarantee that this will create movement in your garden. Here’s why.

Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home, writes that in the lower 48 United States there aren’t many places left that can support wildlife. Farmland (about 40%) is locked into plantings of corn, soybean, cotton, artichoke, citrus, timber, or cattle, depending on where you live.

Original, undeveloped habitats (about 5%) will remain intact with support for conservation efforts—but more land to sustain and increase native biodiversity is needed.

Developed land (about 55%) is what remains. This is where we live, work, play, worship, shop, learn, and are laid to rest. This is the only part of our country where significant change can still happen, and it is happening big-time right now. I see birds, bees, amphibians, and butterflies moving into gardens full of native plants. Native gardeners find monarchs laying eggs on marsh milkweed. They find birds nesting in rusty blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum rufidulum).

They even get tadpoles in small urban water gardens planted with pickerelweed, Pontederia cordata, arrow alum, Peltandra virginica or fragrant water lily, Nymphaea odorata.

The saying “Plant native and they will come” has never been more important. About half of our migrating birds are in steep decline.

Monarch butterflies and a host of other butterfly and bee species are in trouble also. Those are reasons why native plants are flying off the shelves in garden centers. In addition, they are beautiful and adapted through time to thrive in our region. So what are you waiting for? Go native! For a Resource Guide of vendors of native plants and native plant services, visit www.grownative.org Horticulturist Scott Woodbury is the Curator of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve, where he has worked with native plant propagation, design, and education for more than 20 years. He also is an advisor to the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Grow Native! program.

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#takebackyourweekends The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

13

R

Plan to Attend Native Pollinators Symposium

esearch indicates native bees and other pollinators are under stress due to habitat loss, climate extremes, etc. But what does this really mean for a backyard gardener? To further explore and encourage discussion of this topic, the Mizzou Botanic Garden, comprising the entire University of Missouri campus landscape in Columbia, Mo., is bringing some of the foremost experts together at a very special educational event in June. More later about this event, but let me first share a personal historical perspective.

Looking back to what I learned in college while earning an agriculture degree in horticulture with an emphasis in ornamental landscape plants and design, followed by my early years of practice, my perspective today realizes a former narrow view of selecting plants for the designed landscape. In the early

years, I learned that landscapes should be attractive (color, texture, form) and good design should accommodate human protection from basic environmental impacts (creating cool shade with trees, using evergreens to deflect the cold winds of winter).

While immersing myself with a student project to develop a minibotanic garden, the Woodland and Floral Gardens, behind the MU College of Agriculture Building back in the late 1970’s, a student colleague piqued my interest to consider inclusion of Missouri native plants as part of the garden’s design. At that time, using native plants in a designed landscape was a radical concept – I had horticulture professors who questioned why we desired to plant “weeds” behind the Agriculture building.

The more I read and learned about natives, I realized an increased fas-

cination about their value to the built landscape – I had caught the native bug.

Fast forward to 1999 when I enjoyed involvement with the early beginnings of a native plant education and marketing program that became known as “Grow Native!.”

Serious interest in native plants was beginning to emerge but availability of nursery-grown natives was quite limited. The Grow Native! program cultivated a highly collaborative effort to raise public awareness and interest in native plants while at the same time encouraging the production of a responsibly grown supply. Arranged appropriately in the landscape, native plants could be quite attractive!

As the 2000s progressed, I realized another mindset changing moment – I experienced a Doug Tallamy lecture based on his book “Bringing Nature Home.”

Wow, native plants are much more than pretty plants – native plants are an integral part of a life-supporting natural system. Without native plants, Monarch butterflies would cease to exist without native milkweeds; baby songbirds would starve without caterpillars dependent on mighty native oak trees; and other members of the wild animal community, including native pollinators, would be impacted by the loss of habitat and food. Since experiencing my very first Tallamy “Bringing Nature Home” presentation, I have personally benefited greatly by attending four additional

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lectures – each contributing to a whole new perspective for me to experience and comprehend the natural and built landscape.

Readers of this article have a wonderful opportunity to personally experience “Bringing Nature Home” when Doug Tallamy keynotes a “Native Pollinators Symposium” at the University of Missouri on Thursday, June 23, in Columbia. The Tallamy message will be further supported by other presentations by Roy Diblik, Northwind Landscape Design Division; Christine Nye, Shedd Aquarium of Chicago; and Mike Arduser, a now retired, former Missouri Department of Conservation natural history biologist. Come join us for a highly informative day!

For more information about the symposium, gardens.missouri.edu.

Bill Ruppert owns and manages the St. Louis office of National Nursery Products, a horticultural sales and marketing company, and is the current Chair of the Friends of Mizzou Botanic Garden board.

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he Grassland Heritage Foundation (GHF) is excited to host our 4th Annual Native Plant Sale at the Lawrence Public Library Lawn, 707 Vermont St., on Saturday, May 14, 2016, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. GHF plant experts will be on hand to assist buyers in choosing from over 40 species of native wildflowers and grasses that are great for home landscapes.

Native Plants are beautiful, easy to grow, and they are food factories for local wildlife! The introduction of foreign plant species into the landscape as well as the destruction of habitat has led to a number of challenges, including a decline in native pollinators and other insects, both crucial elements in keeping an ecosystem in balance.

By finding ways to incorporate native plants and wildflowers into home and business landscapes, we can help increase and sustain healthy pollinator levels and feed the wildlife all around us.

Native wildflowers and grasses are also beautiful and easy to grow.

These plants thrived for thousands of years right here without any help from people (literally just below our feet). That means that most are easy to grow, use less water, and require very little maintenance.

With any luck, native plant gardeners will spend less time tending their flower gardens and more

time enjoying the wildlife that lives there.

The sale will feature more common native plants like New England Aster as well as more unusual natives like Purple Prairie Clover and even Rattlesnake Master. We’ll also have a variety of milkweeds, grasses, and shade tolerant plants. This will be one of the few times this year that such a large selection of native plants will be available locally. All plants will be $4.00 each.

GHF Members can receive a discount when they order ahead!

All 2015 and 2016 GHF members can place their plant order ahead of time and pay and pick up at the sale. They will also receive a discount on pre-ordered plants!

Contact GHF for details. The deadline to order is May 8th and nonmembers can join online at www. grasslandheritage.org.

The Grassland Heritage Foundation is dedicated to tallgrass prairie preservation and education about our prairie heritage. All proceeds from the sale will be used for prairie preservation and education efforts.

For more information about GHF, prairie preservation, and the GHF Native Plant Sale, go to www.grasslandheritage.org, follow us on Facebook, or contact us at ghfplantsale@gmail.com or 785840-8104.

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The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

15

We say goodbye to Patrick Muir Editor’s Note: We are sad to report the passing of our friend and monthly contributor, Patrick Muir.

Below is a wonderful eulogy that we know our readers will appreciate. It has been edited for space.

“Patrick James Muir, 50, a proud and vibrant man died on Tuesday, the Fifth day of April, the Year of our Lord 2016. After 14 years of courageously fighting the life and health challenges of a quadriplegic, the last 10 weeks in the ICU at Shawnee Mission Medical Center had finally taken its toll. He had given the world all that he had to give and he decided it was his time to go. Patrick always lived life on his terms, so while his passing is sorrowful, his family is grateful that the end of his life was also on his terms—he would not have had it any other way.

Patrick was born to Joan and Robert Muir in Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia, the Western Suburbs of Sydney. Even though Patrick eventually became a U.S. citizen, he would always treasure his Australian heritage as his childhood in Australia had a pro-

found impact on his life. He would often say his life was a tribute to his grandparents on his mother’s side, Peter Michael Cusack and Adele Mary Newbound (“Mick and Della”). There is no doubt Patrick’s passion for gardening sprouted from the time he spent with Nan and Pop at Highlow, their farm on the edge of the Outback.

Together with his family, Patrick moved to Lenexa, Kansas in 1978 when he was just 13. He graduated from Shawnee Mission West High School in 1983 and earned a degree in Agricultural Economics and Marketing from Kansas State University in 1988.

After graduation, Patrick began his professional career in advertising, joining the then local agency of NKH&W. His career eventually took him to St. Louis for several years where he met Brenda, the love of his life. Their connection

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was immediate and their love was deep. In 1998, they moved back to Kansas City, soon started their family, bringing Jackson and Colin into the world. His passion for life was only surpassed by his devotion to and pride of his boys.

Patrick loved all the wonders of our natural world. From the ruggedness of the red dirt in the Outback, to the magnificence of Muir Woods, to the simplicity of the prairies of Kansas, all the way to the beauty of the tulip fields in Holland, Patrick appreciated everything nature has to offer. He channeled this passion into a lifelong zeal for gardening. By the age of 13 he was winning junior and adult gardening competitions for his gladioli and vegetables, even winning sweepstakes for Purple Plum petunias (clearly an omen for his future successes at K-State).

Patrick improved the natural beauty of every place he ever lived, never more so than at Trinity Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Merriam, Kansas, where he lived for the last seven years. Not even paralysis could deter Patrick’s enthusiasm for gardening. No longer able to pick up a shovel, he picked up a pen and became a regular contributor to the Kansas City Star and The Kansas City Gardener magazine (by the way, these are both metaphors, for as so many of you have experienced first-hand, the man had a knack for getting others to do the hard work of planting and working the soil—he hadn’t touched a spade since the 80’s). He began writing “Patrick’s Picks,” a monthly column in which he shared his boundless knowledge of the garden. Always striving to improve, in 2011 he began to write his “blog.” Again, with the help of friends, he designed his own website, patricksgarden.com, and began to share more than just his gardening expertise, he shared his personal story with the world with posts such as, “The Perils of a Quadriplegic Gardener.”

It was important to Patrick that he be remembered as a vibrant man, always the life of the room with an everlasting smile.”

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community garden is so much more than a collection of garden beds. Even a modest community garden offers people a place to learn a bit about nature, to grow nutritious food, and to meet their neighbors. But some community gardens go above and beyond the simple – and vital – mission of growing food. One such garden is the St. Paul Community Garden on the corner of Sterling and 36th in Independence.

Founded in 2006, the garden is the vision of Master Gardener and Master Naturalist Sara Scheil. A long-time parishioner of St. Paul United Methodist Church, Scheil requested permission from the church council to create a community garden on a vacant lot owned by the church. Permission granted, the garden began modestly in the fall of 2006 with a 30’ x 70’ area cleared for gardening. A large composting facility was created on site with the help of a local Boy Scout Troop; laying the foundation for a self-sustaining garden, a practice that continues to this day.

Over the years the garden has grown to include 24– 10’ x 20’ plots and 4 – 10’ x 10’ plots. The site is also home to a raspberry and blueberry patch, strawberry beds, and an orchard that provides gardeners with pears, cherries, peaches, and apples. Fencing for the garden was secured through donations from the community. In 2012,

St. Paul United Methodist Church generously bestowed a grant to the garden making it possible for a well to be installed on-site.

As a Master Naturalist, Scheil understands that nature is a gardener’s biggest ally. To this end, the garden site is also host to a native flower and insectary garden, making it a prime destination for pollinators and other beneficial insects. In addition to being a Certified Monarch Way Station, the garden is proudly a Certified Wildlife Habitat.

This commitment to preserving the natural world is reinforced by the cardinal rule of the garden: to raise crops using only organic methods.

Pesticide use is forbidden, and sustainable methods are encouraged.

Amazingly, there are still garden plots available for the 2016 growing season! The garden, located just north of St. Paul United Methodist Church at 36th and Sterling in Independence, is open to the community and provides a place where gardeners may grow for personal use and recreation. And with a mere $20 rental fee, the gardeners can eliminate much of their cost for produce from their grocery bill. Who wouldn’t want to do that while saving the planet and having fun?

For more information, or to join the St. Paul Community Garden, contact Sara Scheil at stpaulcommunitygarden@yahoo.com, or call 816-356-6986.

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The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

17

The Bird Brain THERESA HIREMATH shares everything you want to know about Bird of the Month – the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

O

ne of the most anticipated heralds of spring and summer here in the midwest is the arrival of the “Jewel of the Garden”, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. They typically arrive mid-April, but the timing can vary depending on weather and food sources. Most ruby-throated hummingbirds spend the winter in Central America and cross the Gulf of Mexico to get there. That’s a really long trip for such a tiny bird!

Hummingbirds weigh 1/10th of an ounce… about the weight of a penny! Their brains are about the size of a BB, and their hearts are larger proportionally to their body than any other bird or mammal.

Unlike their wings, which enable amazing flying capabilities, hummers’ legs are so underdeveloped that they are unable to walk well.

One of the most distinctive things about hummingbirds is their precision flying skill! They zip around the garden and feeders like million-dollar fighter jets!

Typically flying at 30-45 miles per hour, they have the ability to turn on the after burners and reach 60 miles an hour!! They can hover, and are the only birds able to fly backwards and upside down. Their wings beat 20-80 times per second, and their flight muscles comprise 25-50% of their body weight compared to other birds at 15-25%.

As you can imagine, such amazing flying maneuvers require some serious fuel! These little powerhouses eat about every ten minutes, and can drink up to twice their body weight in nectar every day (most birds only eat 25-50% of their body weight). They drink

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nectar from plants and sugar water from feeders, lapping up nectar with their long tongues. There is a groove on either side of the tongue that creates a capillary action to help draw the nectar up the tongue and into the mouth during the lapping action. In addition to flying fast, hummingbirds lap up nectar fast too! While lapping up nectar, hummingbirds can move their tongues in and out of their bill at a rate of up to 12 times a second.

While hummingbirds learn to associate flower colors, like red, with food, they do not have an innate preference for red, and their nectar should not be dyed red.

Hummingbirds can be very protective with feeding areas, and providing several feeding stations can prevent a single male from dominating all the feeders.

In addition to nectar, hummingbirds eat insects and insect eggs on the ground and in trees. They love spiders and spider eggs. They use their bill and not their tongue to catch insects.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds have one of the highest nesting success rates of any neo-tropical migrant. A mother hummingbird weighs only about eight times more than her egg, and she lays the world’s smallest bird eggs.

Hummingbirds generally lay two eggs, each about the size of a blueberry. Ruby-throated hummingbirds will have two broods, each taking 45 days from nest construction to fledging.

Hummingbirds use spider webs as glue to attach the nest to a tree branch as well as a binding agent for the building materials.

The nest is about the size of a golf ball; around 1½ inches in diameter.

Only about 20% of ruby-throated hummingbird fledglings survive their first year.

Hummingbirds will bathe in shallow water sources like natural pools or dishes, and enjoy “showering” in sprinklers and misters. To keep their feathers in top shape for flying, hummingbirds will leaf-bathe by fluttering against wet leaves.

Whichever aspect you enjoy most about your hummers – their beauty, energy, precision flying skills, quirky attitudes or curiosity – we’d love to hear about it!

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Become a Master Gardener

H

ave you always wanted to know more about plants, the environment, and how to be a successful gardener?

Do you like to work with people? Become a Master Gardener of Greater Kansas City! Master Gardeners are trained University of Missouri Extension volunteers who give back to the community by providing horticulture information and demonstration gardens to the public. The information they share is based on proven research and is specific to our local climate, soils, and plants.

The University of Missouri Extension is offering Master Gardener training this fall for those wanting to become Master Gardener Volunteers. In-person classes begin August 17 and continue every Wednesday and two Saturdays, finishing on November 30. The classes are taught by University of Missouri faculty and local experts. The majority of the classes will be held at the downtown KCMO University of Missouri Extension office at 105 E. 5th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. For those who plan on vol-

unteering with Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City, the class costs $175. This covers the cost of the training, a MU Extension horticulture handbook, and other class materials. Applications are due June 15, 2016. A limited number of scholarships are available.

Those requesting scholarship assistance need to submit a short statement explaining why they need assistance and how they plan to use the Master Gardener training.

Master Gardener in-depth training topics include: • Basic Plant anatomy and pathology • Maintaining healthy soil • Fruit and vegetable gardening • Lawn care • Tree and shrub care • Landscape design and how to control wildlife damage to gardens and property • Growing annual and perennial flowers • Garden Insects To become a certified Master Gardener, forty-five hours of volunteer service is required the first year. Twenty-five hours of volunteer service is required per year in subsequent years to maintain active Master Gardener status. After the first year, six hours of continuing education is also required annually.

If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener and would like to receive an application, contact Cathy Bylinowski, Horticulture Educator, bylinowskic@missouri.edu or Sara Hill, Secretary/Receptionist, hillsara@ missouri.edu, at 816-252-5051, or Lala Kumar, Horticulture Specialist, kumarl@missouri.edu.

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Join us on June5th in The Laura Conyers Smith Rose Garden!

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On Rose Day enjoy the beautiful garden, activities, attend the Rose Show and talk about your roses with Rose Society members and Park Director Judy Penner. Hope to see you there - 51st Street and Wornall. For those who would like to volunteer in the rose garden, contact Loose Park at 816-513-8590. Volunteer training is being conducted May 5th at 9 AM. Accept only Original Earth Right Products for the health and beauty of your lawn and garden!

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19

Celebrating 85 Years of Roses June anniversary weekend of festivities

T

he Kansas City Rose Society (KCRS) will celebrate its 85th anniversary with a weekend of festivities. The celebration will start on June 3, 7 p.m., at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s Atkins Auditorium with the presentation “A Vision of Roses: Sustainable Rose Gardening” given by Pat Shanley, President of the American Rose Society and Chairman, American Garden Rose Selections,™ sponsored by the Kansas City Rose Society, Westport Garden Club, and Friends of Powell Gardens. Ms. Shanley grows about 250 roses in Glen

Cove, NY. She will sign copies of her book “The Sustainable Rose Garden – a Reader in Rose Culture” after her presentation. Admission is free, but there is a $8 charge for parking in the museum garage.

RSVP to Linda Burton at lburton@ powellgardens.org or 816-6972600 ext. 209.

The annual KCRS Rose Show, “Celebrating 85 Years of Roses,” will be held at the Loose Park Garden Center, June 4 and 5. All rose growers are invited to bring roses to the show between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on June 4.

You do not have to be a member

of the KCRS to enter roses in the show. And, there is no entry fee. There will be a Youth Class for exhibitors 17 years old and younger. So, have your children or grandchildren enter the rose(s) that they have grown. There will be a Novice Class for any exhibitor who has never won a blue ribbon in a rose show.

New this year will be four classes for photographs of roses. The public will be asked to vote on the “Most Fragrant Rose” entered in the show. The show will be open for viewing to exhibitors and members of KCRS from 4:00 p.m. until

5:00 p.m. on June 4. The show will be open to the public between 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 5.

June 5 is officially Rose Day in Kansas City. Festivities, including a performance by the Kansas City Youth Ballet, will be held in the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden at 3:00 p.m. Come and enjoy the beauty of the rose garden.

The rules of the rose show (the schedule) will be available online after May 1, at www.kansascityrosesociety.org. Entry tags will be available after May 15, at the Loose Park Garden Center.

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U

niversity of Missouri Extension Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City is conducting a summer gardening program for youth ages 9-13. In the Garden ‘N Grow Program, youths learn not only vegetable gardening, but also “cultivate” other science, math, and language arts skills and have fun! The goals of this program are to experience the fun of gardening, to enjoy a feeling of success, and to have the satisfaction of sharing harvested food with family and/or local food banks.

The development of the whole child is emphasized as well as team building as they garden. Master Gardeners use cooperative teaching skills to educate youth about seeds, transplants, garden planning and design, site preparation, soils, plant growth and development,

costs of production, garden pests, plant health care, human nutrition, food value, food needs in the local community, and horticultural career opportunities. Each Master Gardener is trained by University of Missouri Extension specialists.

The Garden ‘N Grow Program will be held on Mondays and Thursdays from 9:00-11:00 a.m. from June 2 through August 8, 2016 at Fairview Christian in Gladstone.

Cost of the 10 week program is $45 per single child or 2 siblings at $70. Enrollment fees include student workbooks, games and crafts, vegetable garden supplies, and a Garden ‘N Grow t-shirt.

For more information on the program, contact the Jackson County University of Missouri Extension Center at (816) 2525051.

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May 2016 | kcgmag.com Photo courtesy of firsteditionsplants.com.

Summer Wine

Above: Amber Jubilee; Below: bloom of Lemon Candy Photo courtesy of ProvenWinners.com.

Photo courtesy of waysidegardens.com.

Little Devil Coppertina

Above: Lemon Candy; Below: Tiny Wine

Photo courtesy of ProvenWinners.com.

Fabulous foliage and flowers of

Ninebark Great selection for birds, bees and butterflies, SUSAN MERTZ highlights varieties of ninebark.

N

inebark? Why not ten or eight bark my husband inquired. These are the type of questions I get when walking through a garden and trying to talk about plants with him. Gladly, this is my chance to wax poetic about plants. Here begins my enthusiasm about Ninebark.

Physocarpus opulifolius, commonly called ninebark, is an upright, spreading, somewhat coarse, deciduous shrub. It is native through much of North America.

Dr. Michael Dirr, a legend in the horticulture world, once said “about anything is better than a Physocarpus.” That may have been true about common ninebark, but not about today’s cultivars with colorful foliage and the tough genetics of the species. Amber Jubilee™ and Little Devil™ Ninebarks are now included in Dr. Dirr’s presentations on top performing landscape shrubs.

Layers of exfoliating bark, “nine lives”, is what gives Physocarpus the common name of ninebark.

Usually hidden by foliage during the growing season, the unique bark provides winter interest and makes a good background plant for beds and borders.

Easy to grow, it is adaptable to conditions ranging from dry, rocky sites to wet soils. Make sure to note

mature size when selecting a site to plant. That way you allow plenty of room for this sprawling beauty.

Great for songbird gardens, the dense branches and foliage of ninebark provide shelter for birds’ nests. After the rush of spring is over, ninebark’s small pom-pom flowers open in May and June, and are a nectar source for butterflies and native bees. The red seed capsules that follow are a food source for birds.

Amber Jubilee™ (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Jefam’) If there is room for only one ninebark, First Edition’s Amber Jubilee™ would be my choice. The color transformation from spring when the foliage first emerges through fall is beautiful. Yellow, orange to green and purple, the foliage is outstanding. Amber Jubilee™ is named in honor of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. Full sun for best foliage color. Matures 5-6’ x 4’.

Coppertina® (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Mindia’) A cross between Dart’s Gold and Diabolo® Ninebarks, the foliage of Proven Winners’ Coppertina® emerges copper orange in the spring and matures to red in the summer. Blush pink

flowers in spring. Foliar problems are reduced with good air circulation. Matures 6-8’ x 6-8’.

Lemon Candy (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Podaras 3’) Filled with notes on plants I’ve tried over the years, my treasured 1996 Longview Gardens catalog is still a great resource. Nugget Ninebark is the only ninebark listed in that catalog with a description of “triangular gold foliage.” Today, the choice for a golden ninebark is Ball Ornamental’s Lemon Candy with “freaky fluorescent gold foliage.” Best with morning sun, afternoon shade. Matures 4-5’ x 4-5’.

Little Devil™ (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Donna May’) First Edition’s Little Devil™ has small deep burgundy leaves and blush pink flowers. Originally thought to be a smaller maturing plant in the early trials, it is proving otherwise. Matures 4-5’ x 4-5’.

Summer Wine (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Seward’) Proven Winners’ Summer Wine Ninebark is in my backyard garden that includes Butterflies Magnolia with Virginia Bluebells and Lily of the Valley at the base, repeat flowering Bloomerang Lilac, and Fine Line Buckthorn. Helping to screen

neighbors and our compost pile, the plantings provide color from early spring through fall. I love the lilac’s flowers against the backdrop of ninebark’s purple foliage. The arching branches of ninebark help break up the vertical lines of the other plants. Though planted in part shade, it does well in full sun.

Matures 5-6’ x 5-6’.

Tiny Wine® (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘SMPOTW’) Tiny Wine® Ninebark is a good substitute for Crimson Pygmy Barberry for gardeners wishing to avoid thorns but wanting a pop of color from a small shrub. Proven Winners’ Tiny Wine® has dark maroon foliage. Matures 3’ x 3’.

My husband will probably forget the reason for the name ninebark as he is more interested in talking about sports than plants.

However, he is appreciative of my love of gardening, trying new plants and seeing what happens.

And, he knows that plants that thrive on neglect and ignored by rabbits are most at home in our landscape.

Susan Mertz, Garden Writer and Director of Marketing at Loma Vista Nursery. Join her for tours and photographs of gardens at inthegarden.buzz

The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

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Photos by Rob Mortko.

Curly Fries

Night Before Christmas

Blue Angel

Orange Marmalade

Hot Hostas for the Cool Shade Landscape designer and hosta expert, ROB MORTKO discusses growing and designing with hostas.

2016 Hosta of the Year Looking for a unique hosta with a very distinct form? How about long, narrow, arching leaves that are nicely rippled and rolled along the margin with a golden-yellow color? Kind of reminds you of a curly fry.

The American Hosta Growers Association Hosta of the Year for 2016 is Curly Fries. This vigorous grower measures only 11 inches tall and 20 inches wide at maturity.

In mid to late summer the deep purple flower scapes are topped with lavender flowers.

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Growing Better Hostas Growing hostas in a greenhouse setting has taught us some key lessons on what our hostas really want from us. While we were all trained to think of hostas as shade plants, they will always grow more vigorously in brighter light. In the Kansas City area, the perfect location is morning sun followed by afternoon shade. When growing white centered hostas, morning sun becomes a requirement since the foliage has less chlorophyll. While you can locate hostas in full sun in Kansas City and they will grow like crazy, the foliage will burn in July or August. The three keys to growing better hostas in Kansas City: • Location, location, location (bright light, morning sun is optimum) • Good soil prep (amend clay soils with plenty of organic matter)

you pay only for the amount of topsoil that is off-loaded. no shoveling or wheelbarrowing needed!

• Water (at least 1” during the hot dry summer months) Designing with Hostas We’ve all seen them – collectors’ gardens. Their goal is simple amass one of everything. Buy first; worry about where they go later.

Many resulting plants never even make it out of the pot. A landscape plan can be a foreign concept to a plant collector.

Hostas are the number one selling perennial in this country and well known to be habit forming.

There are thousands of varieties.

How can you possibly balance the need to collect hostas with the desire to develop an attractive landscape design? The challenge can be especially daunting to a hosta collector.

Hi. My name is Rob and I’m a hostaholic. I admit it – I’m a hosta collector. And yet I also like to consider myself a landscape

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May 2016 | kcgmag.com

Liberty designer as well. To address these somewhat conflicting objectives, I’ve found some simple techniques to help disguise my collector tendencies.

A majority of hostas you find in the marketplace are not hybrids, but are sports. A sport is a mutation of a parent plant that has resulted in a change of hosta foliage color. For example, a solid yellow hosta could sport to a plant with a green margin and a yellow center. That plant might in turn sport to the reverse variegation – a yellow margin with a green center. Even with these changes of foliage color, the basic shape of the leaf, the general size of the clump, the bloom color and the bloom time all remain unchanged.

But the yellow color in this case (either on the margin or on the center) remains a constant.

By using members of a hosta sports family in a grouping of plants you can take advantage of a central color theme. Let’s use an example to illustrate.

The most popular of the medium size blue hostas is a cultivar named Halcyon. June is the most popular of all hostas and is a sport of Halcyon. June retains the same blue color of its parent on the leaf margin but adds a creamy yellow center. First Frost is also a sport of Halcyon. In this case though, it

retains the blue center while adding a creamy yellow margin. Grouping these three cultivars together would naturally draw on the blue color theme of the parent Halcyon. The result is harmonious and the effect is greater than the sum of the individual parts. The individual plants still stand on their own merit, but look like they belong together.

That’s because they do!

There are tons of hostas sports in the market. A little research on parentage will give you guidance on selecting hostas for groupings.

The following list includes some of the most popular hosta varieties along with a listing of related sports. Combine any or all of these individual sports families for a pleasing, harmonious effect.

Small and Mini Hostas (up to 14” in height) • Blue Mouse Ears – Church Mouse, Dancing Mouse, Desert Mouse, Frosted Mouse Ears, Green Mouse Ears, Holy Mouse Ears, Mighty Mouse, Mini Skirt, Mouse Capades, Mouse Trap, Pure Heart (and the mouse list goes on and on) • Fire Island – Island Breeze, Paradise Island, Volcano Island • Pandora’s Box – Baby Bunting, Cameo, Cherish, Hope • Rainforest Sunrise – Maui Buttercups, Pocketful of Sunshine, Sunset Grooves, Tropical Storm • Vanilla Cream – Heart and Soul, Ice Cream Medium Hostas (15” to 22” in height) • Dance with Me – Last Dance, Mango Tango, Summer Breeze, Summer Lovin, Summer Music, Stitch in Time • Fortunei group – Captain Kirk, Eternal Flame, Gold Standard, Hyacinthina, Light Everlasting, Vulcan, Whirlwind

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• Francee – Independence, Loyalist, Minuteman, Patriot, Revolution • Golden Tiara – Amber Tiara, Diamonds are Forever, Diamond Tiara, Emerald Tiara, Grand Prize, Grand Tiara, Heavenly Tiara • Halcyon – Autumn Frost, Blue Ivory, June, June Fever, June Spirit, First Frost, El Nino, High Society, Justine, May, Permafrost, Remember Me, Stand by Me, Touch of Class • Paul’s Glory – Glory Hallelujah, Orange Marmalade, St Paul, Wheaton Blue • Striptease – Gypsy Rose, Hanky Panky, Kiwi Full Monty, Risky Business, Snake Eyes, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini • Tokudama group – Bright Lights, Heat Wave, Tokudama Aureonebulosa, Tokudama Flavocircinalis • White Christmas – Night before Christmas, Sno Cone, White Elephant Large and Giant Hostas (over 22” in height) • Blue Angel – Earth Angel, Guardian Angel, Megan’s Angel • Choo Choo Train – American Icon, Journey’s End

• Great Expectations – Great Arrival, any of the sieboldiana group (see below) • Guacamole – Ambrosia, Avocado, Cathedral Windows, Doubled Up, Fragrant Bouquet, Fried Bananas, Fried Green Tomatoes, Frozen Margarita, Mariachi, Mojito, Stained Glass, Sugar and Spice, Sweet Innocence (note all of these are fragrant flowering) • Krossa Regal – Regal Splendor, Regal Supreme • montana Aureomarginata – Hollywood Lights, On Stage • Niagara Falls – Angel Falls, Bridal Falls, War Paint • Sieboldiana group – Elegans, Northern Exposure, Olive Bailey Langdon, Robert Frost, Spilt Milk, Thunderbolt • Sum and Substance – Bottom Line, Final Summation, Icy Halo, Parhelion, Titanic, Vim and Vigor, Winter Snow Rob Mortko, along with his wife Sheri, own and operate Made in the Shade Gardens specializing in hostas and located in Olathe, Kansas.

Learn more about these and other hostas by visiting their website at www.HostaGuy.com.

Cultivate discovery and adventure in every season at Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s botanical garden !

TM

Booms & Blooms Festival July 2

May 21-October 3

Discover lifelike dinosaurs large and small and the plants of our distant past.

Festival of Butterflies August 5-7 and 12-14

$20 in-store rebate on Echo GT225 Trimmers

GLOW Jack-O-Lantern Festival October 14 and 15

$20 in-store rebate on Echo PB250 Blowers

Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s botanical gardenTM 30 miles east of KC on Highway 50

816-452-8393

Mon.-Fri. 9am-6pm • Sat. 9am-4pm Serving the Northland for 33 years

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816.697.2600 | powellgardens.org The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

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Aquatic Plants, Water Garden Jewels There are extensive varieties of aquatic plants to adorn your water feature. DIANE SWAN lists many to consider.

W

hether your water feature is new or might need a facelift, utilizing aquatic plants serves the same purpose — to soften the hard look of rocks.

While this is not a complete list of plants, by any means, perhaps it will get you thinking about what will work in your water garden.

Taller marginal, such as Iris, Pickerels, Water Hibiscus, Sweet flag, and Chameleon, act as accents to give height and variation on the edges. Even more impressive planted in small groups.

Creepers, such as creeping jenny, blue moneywort, and water forget-me-nots are ideal for the water’s edge wedged bare rooted into rocks and crevices. These delightful plants will creep into the water and into the ground on the outer edges. This will anchor

the plants into place and their roots will take up nutrients as the water passes by. They are great for naturalizing the edges of the pond and the streams.

Tropical Umbrella palms, Papyrus, and Taros add an exotic look and love to help take up nutrients especially if bare rooted or planted in baskets with pea gravel.

Every water garden needs at least one Lotus. Over the years they will mature into majestic specimen plants. Huge bowl-shaped waterproof leaves are held high above the water. Their saucer to dinnerplate size blossoms are fragrant and impressive high above the water.

Lotus are winter hardy as long as they are lowered into the lowest part of the pond for the winter.

Next are water lilies that shade the pond from the summer’s sun

and give the fish hiding places.

Hardy lilies come in many wonderful colors and will have smoothedged lily pads. Hardy lilies will over winter in the pond. Their blooms open in the morning and close around 3-4 in the afternoon.

Now if you miss seeing your lilies bloom because you work during the day, you need to add at least one tropical lily. They do not overwinter but they bloom their hearts out during the season and bloom later in the season than most hardies.

The Day Blooming Tropicals have exotic shades of purple, blue, fuchsia, and green. Their blooms are held proudly above of the water. Many of these have mottled leaves for added color.

Then of course, you can’t forget the Night Blooming Tropicals.

They open in the evening, stay open all night, and close late morning to early afternoon. Since they don’t need the sun to bloom, night bloomers are perfect for the partial to full shade water gardens.

Finish it all off with oxygenators, such as anacharis and parrot feather, for under water living. Or how about floaters, such as water hyacinth and water lettuce. Floaters

Every water garden needs at least one Lotus. can literally be thrown in the pond to ‘plant’ them. Nothing easier that that!

These beautiful aquatic plants really are the jewels of the water garden. They will not only look great but also will provide shading, filtration, food and hiding places for the fish and frogs.

Kevin and Diane Swan own Swan’s Water Gardens, a full service water garden center. You may contact them at 913-837-3510.

Heartland Hosta & Shade Plant Society

Come see what’s blooming at Enrights ...

We have everything you need from Azaleas to Zinnias.

NOW BLOOMING AT THESE 3 LOCATIONS

2351 N. 400 Rd. • Edgerton, KS • Hours: 9am-6pm, Mon.-Sat. • Sun. noon-4pm 2 miles west of Edgerton on Hwy 56 • to County Line, 2 miles north 1/2 west Shawnee Location • 5920 County Line Rd., KCK • 913-375-1335 Nieman and County Line Rd. • Mon.-Sat. 9am-6pm • Sun. noon-4pm KCMO Farmers Market Location, 3rd & Walnut, Saturday only Stall 50 across (west) from the Arabian

Enright Gardens No Ordinary Gardening Adventure

gorgeous plants, wonderful staff, unique garden store 26

May 2016 | kcgmag.com

Annual Spring Hosta and Shade Plant Sale Saturday, May 14, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Faith Lutheran Church 4805 W. 67th St. (67th & Roe), Prairie Village, KS Annual Spring Hosta and Shade Plant Sale featuring an elite collection of lovely new hosta and other shade perennials, including but not limited to, a nice selection of Heucheras, Ferns, Tricyrtus and Arisaemas. Look for mini hostas for your fairy and container gardens.

Children older than 4 years, accompanied by Parent or Guardian will receive their very own plant, free! The Public is Welcome! Come and bring a friend.

For info call – Gwen Wheeler 816-213-0598.

Clear Out the Car: It’s Time for Powell Gardens’ Spring Plant Sale!

Straight From Our Farm Stop by our Farm Direct Garden Store this spring. We will have special low every day pricing on select plants grown at our farms.

locally grown • hand picked • extraordinary selection

Members Only Sale: 5-7 p.m. May 6 Public Sale: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. May 7-8

T

he theme for this year’s sale, ‘Gardening with Purpose’, features promising new plants and the best of the tried and true— all selected by the talented horticulturists at Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s botanical garden.

“The plants will exemplify sustainable gardening with unique edibles and herbs along with great plants for pollinators, butterflies and insectaries,” says Horticulture Director Alan Branhagen.

“In keeping with the theme, you’ll find plants that tolerate heat and drought and resist diseases and pests. All plants featured in the sale are grown in an insect- and wildlife-friendly manner, so you’ll have no worries over misuse of pesticides.”

See the list of plants at powellgardens.org/PlantSale. Entry to

the sale is included with Garden admission of $10/adults, $9/seniors 60+, $4/children 5-12 and free/ members.

Cocktails & Creative Containers Reception for Members. Members: You get early shopping privileges from 5-7 p.m.

Friday, May 6! We invite you to join us from 4-5 p.m. for Cocktails & Creative Containers. Enjoy a drink from the cash bar, learn how to create beautiful containers during demonstrations by Horticulturist Brent Tucker and Senior Gardener William Hofstetter, and strategize your approach for the sale, which opens at 5 p.m.

Shopping the sale before it opens to the public is just one benefit of being a Friend of Powell Gardens. See all of the perks at powellgardens.org/join.

Call us for your landscape and maintenance needs.

816-941-2332 www.rosehillgardens.com Spring Hours: Mon.-Sat. 9am-6pm, Sun. 10am-5pm

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(816) 229-2684

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great selection of PLANTS for Spring planting in the garden and containers

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www.vanliews.com The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

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Artistic Oasis

Naturally Native

Amazingly Creative

Sweeps, Spaces and Specimens

Private gardens opened for public viewing during popular Kansas City garden tour

S

ix private gardens will be opened to the public during the Johnson County K-State Research and Extension Master Gardener Public Tour, May 20 and 21. Kansas City’s premiere garden tour is a biennial event, and the only opportunity to tour some of the most beautiful private gardens in Kansas City. It is a perfect weekend excursion for anyone passionate about gardening.

Each garden is owned and maintained by an Extension Master Gardener. The homes are selected for their individual qualities, and represent solutions to many gardening challenges commonly found in our region. This year’s gardens feature something for everyone, including native plants, an urban farm, one-of-a-kind garden art, interesting plant combinations and relaxing garden rooms.

What’s the Buzz?

Mizzou Botanic Garden invites you to celebrate National Pollinator Week with a Native Pollinators Dinner and Fundraiser and a Native Pollinators Symposium!

This tour is popular because the owners are passionate about gardening and have transformed standard suburban lots into their own personal oasis. The garden owners and Extension Master Gardener volunteers will be onhand to answer questions. Visitors receive information about the garden’s development, along with educational tips to take home and incorporate into their own landscapes. Photography is encouraged.

This year’s six garden designs include something for everyone: Amazingly Creative You would be one lucky dog if you lived in this home that is just as pet friendly as it is people friendly!

Come and see a garden that has a natural, casual feel, incorporating pet friendly features as well as repurposed treasures from the old family farm. You will see an old time pig feeder, a milk can, a hay pulley and a retaining wall constructed from limestone that was formerly the 100-year-old barn foundation. You will fall in love

with the way this owner blends the old and new, creating an elegant harmonious design that’s sure to make any tail wag with delight.

Artistic Oasis Water and fire are signature features in this creative garden retreat! With so many outdoor rooms to choose from − Zen, reading, lounge or party − you’ll ask yourself, “What do I feel like today?” This owner loves to decorate and has carried her passion for interior design into the outdoors. This garden seamlessly blends different artistic styles into one cohesive design that leads you with anticipation from one room to the next. Come enjoy this artistic oasis! You’ll see why this inspired gardener says, “Come spring and summer my vacation is right here!”

Sweeps, Spaces and Specimens Let’s do a little upfront planning then sit back and enjoy the garden! Come and see how this garden owner has successfully designed a beautiful retreat. It will

Native Pollinators Dinner and Fundraiser

6 p.m., June 19, 2016 The Great Room, Reynolds Alumni Center $50 per person | Cash Bar | Auction items with guest speaker Gary Nabhan

Native Pollinators Symposium

8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., June 23, 2016 Monsanto Auditorium, Bond Life Sciences Center with guest speakers Doug Tallamy, Roy Diblik and others More information at gardens.missouri.edu

"Best selection of locally grown trees and shrubs."

Evergreens • Columnar Trees • Shade Trees Shrubs • Grasses • Groundcovers Annuals • Perennials • Pine Straw

816-229-1277 www.katnurseries.com 27610 E. Wyatt Rd. Blue Springs, MO 64014

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May 2016 | kcgmag.com

Annuals • Hanging Baskets • Patio Pots Succulents • Perennials • Vegetables Herbs • Tropicals • Shrubs Custom Potting Voted #1 Greenhouse in Miami County 6 years in a row!

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be treasured for many years to come because there will be plenty of free time to enjoy “life” as well as her garden. Learn how selecting plants with multi-season interest allows you to get the “biggest bang for your buck,” and how key design elements like visual simplicity, color repetition and carefully planned spacing creates an aesthetically-pleasing landscape.

This carefully planned garden is landscape design at its best.

Naturally Native What requires little watering, very little tending and saves money, too? Why it’s native plants, of course! Bees, butterflies and birds all love this native habitat just as much as the garden owner herself. Come and see how to create a backyard habitat that is friendly to all kinds of visitors! You will see a manmade pond, waterfall and creek along with many features that support the plentiful wildlife that make this garden their home. Be sure to observe the home, an original farmstead spared from destruction.

New this year is mosaic planters, fairy houses and creative containers. Each piece is different and sure to be a conversation piece in your garden. Back by popular demand are the sand-cast leaves.

The local and national hosta expert will also be selling many of the

most popular and latest varieties of this shade-loving plant.

This popular event is only held every other year. Tour tickets for this springtime, rain-orshine event are $12 prior to May 1 and $15 after. Tickets are now available through Johnson County

Extension, online, Johnson County Hen House Markets after May 1 or any of the six gardens on the days of the tour. Maps and directions are provided with each ticket. To learn more, take a virtual tour, at www. johnson.k-state.edu or call (913) 715-7000.

PAVERS • RETAINING WALLS • FLAGSTONE • WALL STONE DIRT • ROCK • MULCH • PLANTS & SHRUBS

WE MAKE YOUR HARDSCAPES EASY

One Tasty Yard Question: “Hey Mom … what’s for dinner?” Answer: Let’s go out to the backyard and take our “pick”!

This large garden boasts a bountiful treasure of edibles, from berries and herbs to apples, tomatoes, and much more. Honey bees lazily flit from flower to flower. Come and learn how this gardener transformed her suburban landscape into a place where healthy food is grown and shared. This garden showcases the urban food movement at its best.

You will be inspired to try your hand at edibles, too!

Barren to Beautiful Got clay? Finding a few rocks when you dig? Don’t despair!

Come see how this Extension Master Gardener couple transformed their barren “empty slate” into a beautiful and tranquil sanctuary, complete with plants that thrive in both sun and shade − a challenge, for sure. Countless loads of compost and good old fashioned hard work is the secret to converting a typical, bare developer’s lot into this charming garden that especially focuses on plants that attract butterflies and birds.

While on the garden tour you will have the opportunity to purchase handcrafted garden art created by the Johnson County EMGs.

Everything you need to upgrade your outdoor living space. We have all that you need to build it from the ground up or enhance what you already have. We have the right selection for the right results.

Randy’s

816-525-1111 LakeviewKC.com

1820 NE Country Park Rd. Lee’s Summit, MO 64086 The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

29

Monarchs in Kansas City With growing public awareness, LENORA LARSON tells of local and national efforts to save the Monarch.

W

hen I moved to Kansas in 1981, the September skies swirled with curtains of orange. Kansas City is in the great Midwestern Flyway for migrating Monarchs and most of us took it for granted as millions of Monarchs poured past, flying south to Mexico. Observers estimate that about one billion Monarch butterflies congregated on the Mexican fir trees in the winter of 1996-97.

Impending Disaster Today, the Monarch is in serious jeopardy. By the winter of 2013-14 the count had plummeted to about 33 million. Contributing factors include urban sprawl, widespread pesticide use, agricultural practices and illegal logging in Mexico. Extinction could happen

in our lifetime if this rate of loss continues.

Some Good News, Then Tragedy Fortunately, people do care about this charismatic insect.

Growing public awareness and ongoing media attention has provided new hope that the decline can be turned around. The 2015-16 count showed the highest number of overwintering Monarchs seen in 5 years. The clustering butterflies covered almost ten acres, although that’s compared to a historic high of 45 acres. Monarch lovers were celebrating, then in early March, a historic winter storm hit with a blanket of sleet and snow. Scientists estimate that as many as 50% of the remaining Monarchs perished and much of the fir forest was

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Saving these beautiful butterflies from extinction will require effort and cooperation between governments, farmers and developers. We gardeners can help by planting Milkweeds to feed the Monarch caterpillars. destroyed by the 70 MPH winds.

Obviously, we must do more if we are to save the Monarchs.

A National Action Plan Monarchs are part of President Obama’s National Pollinator Strategy. And the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has teamed up with conservation partners to launch a campaign to save the Monarch butterfly. Groups have also petitioned for endangered species pro-

tection, although this could backfire in conservative Midwestern states where property owners resist any government intervention.

National organizations including Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, The Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and the National Wildlife Federation have funded initiatives to provide education and resources to the public. Many local and national groups are also launch-

ing campaigns to help save the Monarchs.

Monarch Watch Monarch Watch is an educational outreach program based at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Executive Director, Dr. Chip Taylor points out, “The task of restoring monarch numbers through the planting of milkweeds and nectar plants is massive. Calculations indicate that we need to restore 1.4 billion milkweed stems to the landscape. Clearly, to save the monarch migration milkweed needs to be reestablished wherever possible.

Monarch Watch works with nurseries and plans to produce and distribute over 200,000 milkweed plugs this season.” Their Open House, May 7 provides an opportunity to buy Milkweed and other butterfly friendly plants and visit Monarch Waystation #1. Go to www.monarchwatch.org, for more information.

The Kansas City Area Response KCMO Mayor Sly James has signed the Mayors Monarch Pledge, adding an exciting voice to all the efforts Kansas City is currently putting forth. Of the first 17 actions a city can take, the greater KC area is currently has 16 of them in action, placing Kansas City in the Leadership Circle for the Mayors Monarch Pledge.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has recently awarded of $229,868 to restore or improve 1,400 acres of monarch habitat in greater Kansas. Mary Nemecek, Conservation Chair, Burroughs Audubon Society, describes the

Gardens, Kansas City Missouri Parks, and the Westport Garden Club, inspiring one million visitors a year to create a monarch garden at home. The garden will also promote Grow Native!, a program of the Missouri Prairie Foundation.

• Audubon and other partners such as the Platte Land Trust will give away 4,000 native milkweed and nectar plants and resulting in approximately 2,000 square feet of native monarch habitat plantings in area schools. grant, “The multi-sector monarch habitat grant awarded to Burroughs Audubon and its partners by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is an unprecedented, cooperative partnership, by organizations from many sectors, spanning the metropolitan KC area, including both sides of the state line. The awareness and habitat this grant will create for monarchs and other pollinators, brings Kansas City to the forefront of monarch conservation.”

Grant Partners and Highlights • Over 1,000 acres of potential habitat has been made available for restoration by Johnson County Parks, including 100 acres of new habitat along the Mill Creek Streamway Trail in Shawnee Mission Park.

• Forty acres will be restored along Kansas City, Missouri highways, creating migratory pathways and breeding/nectaring sites while reducing mowing and improving aesthetics.

• Five acres of native monarch habitat will be created on KCP&L properties, including their new, state of the art, sustainable training facility, highlighting the company’s commitment to environmental issues.

• Bridging the Gap will help area municipalities plant 50 monarch gardens and 125 homeowner gardens across the metropolitan area, while conducting educational workshops. Visit their website for an online application.

• A 600 square-foot monarch demonstration garden will be created in Loose Park by Powell

Summary The KC Monarch Habitat grant will create unprecedented cooperation, awareness and creation of monarch habitat across the KC area. Individuals and Communities can make a difference by planting milkweed. Please do your part and PLANT MILKWEED. Marais des Cygnes Extension Master Gardener, Idalia Butterfly Society and Kansas Native Plant Society member, Lenora Larson gardens and hosts butterflies in the cruel winds and clay soil of Paola, Kansas. She may be contacted at lenora.longlips@gmail.com.

Experience the joy and excitement of gardening, with a visit to Arnold’s Greenhouse this spring!

Get your garden and flower pots off to their best start ever with your choice of 2,500 varieties of homegrown plants! Arnold’s grows Kansas tried-and-true plants, so you’ll have beautiful flowers and a prolific vegetable garden this year!

Arnold’s Greenhouse growing smiles on our Kansas farm since 1977!

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8601 Barkley Street in Overland Park, KS. Watch for signs.

Take the country drive to the

“Gardener’s Paradise”!

Over 2,500 varieties of plants, including the largest selection of Prairie Star & Prairie Bloom plants recommended by K-State!

Arnold’s Greenhouse • 1430 Hwy. 58 S.E., LeRoy, KS 66857 620-964-2463 or 2423 www.arnoldsgreenhouse.com Monday through Saturday , 9am til 7:30pm Always closed on Sundays

Only 1-1/2 hours from Southwest Kansas City • I-35 to Hwy 75, South 23 miles to Hwy 58, then East 1-1/2 miles (Located 4-1/2 miles West of LeRoy, KS on Hwy 58)

The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

31

Country Garden Tour Missouri Master Naturalist Program Volunteers 10,000+ hours

in the Weston Countryside

Friday & Saturday, June 24 & 25, 2016

9 am - 4 pm • Tickets $10 in advance, $12 Days of Tour • order at www.cottagegardenersweston.com

Osage Trails Chapter is all about educating, volunteering and helping local partners achieve their environmental and conservation goals

• Or send name & address with payment to: Cottage Gardeners, PO Box 102, Weston, MO 64098 • Or purchase at Renditions, 522 Main, Weston 816-640-2300

Enjoy a drive through rural, Western Platte County as you visit five, beautiful country gardens.

Come spend a day in the country and dream with us.

Planters Seed Co. • Since 1927 •

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n 2015, the Osage Trails Chapter of the Missouri Master Naturalist program volunteered a total of 10,159 hours of their time to our many different partner groups.

The Missouri Master Naturalist (MMN) program is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the University of Missouri Extension. The MMN program is a volunteer service organization dedicated to education and the conservation of our state’s natural resources. A Master Naturalist may serve volunteer hours helping out at any of our partner organizations in the Kansas City region.

In the last three years the Osage Trails Chapter has increased their volunteer hours from approximately 8,500 total hours to 10,159 total hours. The hours have accomplished projects such as trail or river clean up and rehabilitation to helping plant native landscaping projects for our partners or even

interpretation programs through our local conservation partners.

If you have always been drawn to the natural world, care about the environment or conservation efforts this is the program for you!

Not only is it educational for you but you also have a wonderful opportunity to volunteer with one of our partner organizations. To learn more about the program please see our FAQ page on our website at http://www.osagetrails. com/frequently-asked-questions. html.

You may also attend our orientation meeting on open house/orientation May 17, 2016 from 6 p.m. through 7:30 p.m. at the Missouri Department of Conservation Discovery Center, 4750 Troost Ave., Kansas City, Mo. The MMN training sessions are set for July 26 – October 25 at MDC. For more information or for an application please see our website at http:// www.osagetrails.com/.

Koi Pond and Water Feature Designs Large selection of certified organically grown Vegetable and Herb plants!

New Installations, Remodels, Upgrades, Repairs and Maintenance Services

Largest Selection of Flowers & Vegetable Seed in the Area More than 300 Varieties of Seed in Bulk Package Seeds Arriving Daily Grass & Pasture Seed • Thousands of Bulbs Baskets, Terracotta and Pottery Birdhouses, Birdfeeders Retail • Wholesale • Lawn • Garden • Farm

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May 2016 | kcgmag.com

Wendy Hix • 913.481.5416 • Tate Foster • 913.406.6804

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21st Annual Union Hill Garden Tour www.mlna.org

To GROW A Better Garden, Shop With A STAR Ted Bergman Willow Landscaping Mark Brakhane Pleasant View Landscaping

R

esidents of the historic Union Hill neighborhood would like to invite you to attend their 21st Annual Garden Tour Sunday, June 12th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This lovely downtown oasis is tucked away between Crown Center and Hyde Park and filled with beautiful Victorian and turn of the century homes dating from the 1870’s. Neighbors take pride in creating and maintaining a variety of breathtaking landscapes throughout our neighborhood.

Begin the tour at 31st & Grand Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri.

Spend the afternoon winding your way around historic Victorian homes, as well as brand new infill homes, which evoke the charm and ambiance of 19th century Kansas City. In addition to the self-guid-

ed tour, a string quartet from the UMKC Conservatory of Music will perform live, classical music from noon to 2:00 p.m. Gardeners and volunteers will be along the tour route to help navigate and answer questions.

Free parking is available in the KCPT lots at the corner of 31st Street and Grand Avenue.

Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors over 60. Children under 12 are free.

Half of this year’s proceeds will benefit the neighboring historic Union Cemetery, Kansas City’s oldest public cemetery. For more information on the Garden Tour, please visit us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/unionhillgardentour or email: unionhillgardentour@gmail.com.

A Gardener’s Destination

400 varieties of perennials many UNUSUAL and HARD TO FIND ready for your garden 30 varieties of Clematis

Organic Herbs and Heirloom Tomatoes Quality grown bedding plants Bring your container, we’ll help you with planting.

Gift ideas for Mom • Hanging baskets • Beautiful flowering trees and shrubs • Wind chimes • Pottery, urns, statuary NEW shipment of wrought iron décor

112 E. Green St. • Clinton, MO 64735 660-885-3441 • Mon.-Fri. 8-6, Sat. 8-4

Bob Call Longfellow’s Garden Center Jeff Coffey Jeff Coffey’s Landscaping Cynthia Collins Hartke Nursery Mike Curran Summer Winds Steve Dorrell Carson’s Nursery Janet Dueber Longfellow’s Garden Center Susan Ehlenbeck MO Dept. of Agriculture Doug English Kristopher Fuller Full Features Nursery & Landscape Center Matt Hagemann Dowco Enterprises

Staci Hentges Longfellow’s Garden Center Sandra Hillermann McDonald Hillermann Nursery & Florist Aaron Jung Horticultural Impressions Glenn Kristek Wickman Garden Village Joe Krygiel Baxter Gardens West Gregg Larsen Gregg Larsen Landscaping

Henry McCormick Carson’s Nursery Anne McKinstry McKinstry Plant Sales Rain Miljan Hillside Landscaping Michael Mills Springfield Greene County Parks Nikki Pettit Wickman Garden Village James Prinster A. Waldbart & Sons Nursery

Roland Lenzenhuber Forest Lawn Nursery

Don Sherman Hillermann Nursery & Florist Inc

John Logan Logan Landscape & Design

Arlene Trombley Summer Winds

Alice Longfellow Longfellow’s Garden Center

Jim Van Valkenburg Sherwood’s Forest

Eric Lovelace Forrest Keeling Nursery Kim Lovelace-Young Forrest Keeling Nursery

Donald Walls Hartke Nursery David Wehmeyer Hillermann Nursery & Florist Inc

Missouri Certified Green Industry Stars is a Missouri State certification program designed to: • Raise the standards of the state’s Green Industry’s Professional Horticulturists • Assist the public in identifying Certified Green Industry Horticulture Professionals who have been tested on Basic Principles of Horticulture, Environmental Stewardship Ideals and Best Management Practices as they apply to the state of Missouri.

To locate and shop with a Missouri Certified Green Industry Star, consult the Membership Directory at:

www.mlna.org The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

33

Plant an Extra Row in Your Garden!

Help feed the hungry in our community with fresh produce from your home garden.

S

pring has arrived and gardeners are outside working in their gardens. Harvesters— The Community Food Network encourages gardeners to plan now to include an extra row in their gardens of fresh fruits and vegetables for the hungry. Gardeners can donate the fresh produce to Harvesters’ Plant A Row for the Hungry program.

“Providing healthy, fresh produce to those in need is a key part of Harvesters’ Healthy Eating Initiative,” said Harvesters’ President and CEO Valerie NicholsonWatson. “Last year, Harvesters distributed more than 15 million pounds of fresh produce, including 17,000 pounds donated by local gardeners who are helping to feed the hungry—one row at a time.”

Gardeners are encouraged to plant fruits, vegetables or herbs that keep well, including beets, carrots, green beans, onions, peas, peppers, squash, tomatoes and watermelon.

Produce can be dropped off at Harvesters or at participating garden centers throughout the metro.

Harvesters will pick up the donated produce at the garden centers and distribute it to local food pantries, shelters and other food assistance programs.

2016 drop-off sites are: Family Tree Nursery 830 W. Liberty Dr., Liberty, Mo.; 8424 Farley, Overland Park, Kan.; 7036 Nieman Rd., Shawnee, Kan. Heartland Nursery 10300 View High Dr., Kansas City, Mo.

Soil Service Nursery 7125 Troost Ave., Kansas City, Mo. Suburban Lawn & Garden 10501 Roe Ave., Overland Park, Kan. Harvesters—The Community Food Network 3801 Topping Ave., Kansas City, Mo. For more information about the Plant A Row for the Hungry program visit www.harvesters.org and click on Give Food. The local Plant A Row program is a partnership between Harvesters and the Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City.

About Harvesters—The Community Food Network Harvesters is a regional food bank and was Feeding America’s 2011 Food Bank of the Year.

Serving a 26-county area of northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas, Harvesters provides food and related household products to more than 620 not-for-profit agencies including emergency food pantries, community kitchens, shelters and others. Agencies in Harvesters’ network provide food assistance to as many as 141,500 different people each month. Harvesters, which was founded in 1979, is a certified member of Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, serving all 50 states. For more information, visit www.harvesters.org.

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May 2016 | kcgmag.com

Aull Garden

Corbin Sculpture Garden

Hoffman Filley Garden

Rich Hoffman and Christopher Filley

Wornall/Majors House Museums Host Kansas City’s Premier Garden Tour

O

n June 4, 2016, the Wornall/ Majors House Museums, the nonprofit that oversees the historic John Wornall and Alexander Majors Houses, will open the garden gate to six of the most stunning and prestigious garden spaces in Kansas City. The bi-annual Wornall/Majors House Museums Garden Tour is the organization’s largest fundraiser, which supports the mission of bringing history to life through innovative, hands-on programs and experiences for thousands of children and adults throughout the greater Kansas City region. Both houses are on the National Register of Historic Places.

“We are extremely thrilled to be hosting the Wornall/Majors House Museums Garden Tour again, and the line-up couldn’t be more stunning”, stated Kerrie Nichols, executive director. “Not only do we

have historic gardens and one-of-akind sculpture gardens, but we are hosting the new “Pop-Up Craft & Food Fair with Strawberry Swing, being held on the Wornall House lawn the same day.”

The Garden Tour kicks off with the Patron’s Party on Friday, June 3, at 7:00 p.m. Garden Tour patrons will enjoy a cocktail reception at the beautiful Mission Hills home of Jenny Chapin and Walker Woods.

Tickets are only $125, and include a sneak-peek preview of the gardens. Patrons are invited to return to the gardens again on June 4.

The full Garden Tour takes place on June 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., rain or shine, and features six of Kansas City’s most beautiful and unique gardens, including the Wornall House Herb Garden.

Tickets are $25 if purchased by June 3, and are $30 the day of the tour. Tickets can be purchased

online at www.wornallmajors.org/ GardenTour2016, by calling 816444-1858, or at local Hen House grocery stores.

Here is a sampling of three of the six diverse gardens you can visit on the tour: The Kansas City garden of Judy and David Aull, located just west of Loose Park, this Normandy farmhouse, filled with charm and history, contains many surprising historic touches – from an eighteenth century stone fountain to a nineteenth century English wall fountain and antique well. Brick pathways wind through beautiful blooms, and pebbled pathways lead to hidden corners of the garden.

The Tom Corbin Sculpture Garden is located behind Corbin’s studio: an historic firehouse located in Rosedale, Kansas. The garden is as meticulously sculpted as Corbin’s statues that also grace

the garden. Corbin, whose bronze sculptures can be found in public installations at the United Nations, the Kauffman Foundation, the Firefighter’s Memorial, and more, will also open his studio to visitors.

Christopher Filley and Rich Hoffman, owners of Christopher Filley Antiques, have filled their Crestwood garden with eclectic items that showcase their eye for antiques. Their sun-dappled garden showcases European marble fountains from the 1920’s, statues, and artwork that perfectly harmonize with the cozy and private space.

Visit www.wornallmajors.org/ GardenTour2016 for an overview of all six gardens and to purchase tickets. And don’t forget to take a tour of the John Wornall House, 6115 Wornall Road, as you stop by the Wornall House’s historic Herb Garden.

3823 N Cobbler Rd Independence, Mo 64058

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“Experience the Bloomers difference” Located just south of Liberty on Hwy 291.

Just north of the Missouri River bridge.

The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

35

Drastic Moves on Old Trees The choice to remove a tree is often a difficult one.

TOM DEPAEPE gives things to consider when deciding.

W

hen my wife and I moved into our new house last year, first on the landscaping agenda was to remove a Bradford Pear. Our realtor, an avid gardener herself, couldn’t understand this, especially as bloom time approached. I explained that the tree was getting older, looking a little rough, and had simply run its course.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy trees. I spend all day looking at trees, diagnosing tree problems, and recommending pruning. Generally speaking, I find that arborists like me are actually less attached to specific trees than the typical homeowner. That’s because we understand that trees are a part of nature, and they are replaceable. Some trees can live for decades and still look good, while others only look good in the landscape for 20 years or so.

Don’t be afraid to remove trees.

Removing trees can be expensive, especially large trees. However, removing a tree is never cheaper than it is today. If you feel a tree has outgrown its space, is a hazard to your home or simply doesn’t look right in the landscape anymore, have it removed. You will feel refreshed once it is gone. Then you’ll have a blank canvas to landscape how YOU want.

When planting trees, instead of putting all of your money into one really big tree, plant a cluster of three or four. This is how trees grow in nature. Down the road, if you need to remove one from the bunch, it won’t leave a void in your landscape.

As always, when planting, make sure to consider the mature size of the tree(s). Don’t plant large

trees too close to your house or power lines.

If you have trees that are special to you, make sure you take care of them accordingly. Have an arborist visit and recommend pruning regularly – every 2-3 years. Prune out dead and hanging limbs and make sure it is structurally sound. If it is

a tree that is susceptible to disease or pest pressures, have it treated.

Water it during dry conditions. It’s worth the time and effort to take good care of your trees.

As an arborist and outdoorsman, I love spending time in nature or on my back deck hearing leaves rustle in the wind. If you’re like me, pause in your reverie and realize trees are a part of nature; they are living, breathing organisms that have a useful life. If a tree is past its prime, don’t feel bad, take it out and plant something new. You are simply renewing your landscape for its next season.

Tom DePaepe is an ISA Certified Arborist with Ryan Lawn & Tree.

He can be reached at tomdepaepe@ryanlawn.com or at 913381-1505.

Water Garden Society of Greater Kansas City Presents

Water Gardens 2016

23rd Annual Water Garden Tour • Saturday, June 25 • Sunday, June 26 9am - 5pm • Rain or Shine • Bus tours available.

Buy early to plan your personal driving tour of 30 plus gardens in Greater Kansas City and nearby communities. There are a variety of private gardens and Water Garden Society constructed educational water gardens for schools and nature centers.

Tickets are $10 per person (ages 14 and older). A tour book with maps, driving directions, and host written descriptions of the gardens are included.

Proceeds benefit construction of educational and restorative water gardens and other educational programs in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Call: 816-305-5963 • 816-861-3449 • www.kcwatergardens.com

Tickets available the first of June at these locations.

KANSAS

Kansas City, House of Rocks Lawrence, Water’s Edge Leavenworth, Homestead Nursery Leawood, Suburban Lawn and Garden Lenexa, Suburban Lawn and Garden Overland Park, Family Tree Nursery Shawnee, Earl May Garden Center Shawnee, Family Tree Nursery

MISSOURI

Blue Springs, Colonial Nursery Independence, Wild Bird Center Lee’s Summit, Randy’s Lakeview Nursery Liberty, Family Tree Nursery Kansas City, Brothers Fish Kansas City, City Pets & Ponds Kansas City, Heartland Nursery

Kansas City, Kansas City Pond & Water Gardening Kansas City, Planters Seed Co. Kansas City, Soil Service Garden Ctr & Nursery Kansas City, Suburban Lawn and Garden Kansas City, Van Liew’s Kansas City, Waldo Grain Company Martin City, Rosehill Gardens

Raymore, Creekside Market Smithville, Full Features Nursery Spring Hill, Swan’s Water Gardening

Tickets also available at all Hen House Markets, all Westlake Hardware stores and all Grass Pads.

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May 2016 | kcgmag.com

Upcoming Garden Events places to go, things to do, people to see Club Meetings African Violets of GKC Tues, May 10, 6-8pm; at Loose Park Garden Center, 51st and Wornall, Kansas City, MO. Membership. 816-513-8590 Bonsai Society of GKC Sun, May 1, 9am-5pm; at Loose Park Garden Center, 51st and Wornall, Kansas City, MO. Master Weekend (RSVP). 816-513-8590 Bonner Springs Garden Club Tues, May 10; at the Bonner Springs City Library, 201 N Nettleton, Bonner Springs, KS 66012. Hosting a Standard Flower Show.

“Nature’s Party” is free and open to the public from noon to 4pm. Show Chairman-Ruth Pleak and Donna Schneck. Any questions, contact Nicky Horn at 913-441-8078.

Garden Club of Shawnee Thurs, May 7, 7pm; at Old Shawnee Town Hall, 11600 Johnson Dr, Shawnee, KS. Master Gardener Mae Christensen will talk about “Conscious Gardening” that’s beautiful, doable, floriferous, fruitful and sustainable, for the gardener and the environment.

Gardeners can really make a difference and bring solutions to the many environmental issues we are facing today such as solid waste management, protecting the waterways, and the extinction of beneficial insects and song birds. Gardening activities can be healthy for us and our communities. We also will hold our semi-annual plant, seed, and bulb exchange.

Refreshments will be served and door prizes will be given away. Everyone is welcome. In June we will host our annual picnic. Come to our May meeting and find out the details to join us at the picnic! www.gardenclubofshawnee.org and also our Facebook page.

(continued on page 38)

• THOUSANDS OF HANGING BASKETS FOR SUN OR SHADE • KNOWLEDGEABLE, FRIENDLY STAFF TO GUIDE YOU IN SELECTING OLD TIME FAVORITES AND EXCITING NEW CULTIVARS Downtown Kansas City KS MO

135th

E S

Highway 150

Highway 58 177th Ave.

Visit our website and sign up for

N W

Plants & Pumpkins

Highyway 71

Johnson County Rose Society Thurs, May 12, 7pm; at the Prairie Village Community Center, 7720 Mission Rd, Prairie Village, KS. Miss Rosie’s topic is “Treat Me Right”. The Consulting Rosarians will lead a round-table discussion about basic rose care.

Come and learn about the basics of watering, spraying, fertilizing and pest control. All JCRS meetings are free and open to the public.

Refreshments are provided. Members and guests are welcome to take advantage of the “Consulting Rosarians Corner”- a free individual consultation with a Consulting Rosarian.

Bring your questions and concerns about any aspect of growing and caring for roses! The Consulting Rosarians will also give timely tips about caring for roses “This Month In The Rose Garden”. For more information about the meetings, programs and other activities of the Johnson County Rose Society, visit their website at www.rosesocietyjoco.org. You can also find them on Facebook at www.facebook. com/JoCoRoses.

• HUGE SELECTION OF FARM RAISED ANNUALS AND PERENNIALS

State Rte D

GKC Herb Study Group Wed, May 11, 12-2:30pm; at Loose Park Garden Center, 51st and Wornall, Kansas City, MO. Membership. 816-513-8590

Idalia Butterfly Society Sat, May 21, 5:30pm Potluck Dinner and 7pm Presentation; at Prairie Village Community Center, 7700 Mission Rd. Bridging The Gap™: Milkweeds for Monarchs, Courtney Masterson. Bridging The Gap™ is launching an 18-month monarch garden program that will install over 175 native plant gardens in the Greater KC Metro, in city, business and residential sites. The program will focus not only on providing these oases to pollinators but also on public education on monarchs, native plants and other pollinators. Courtney will share the progress of the project and provide monarch garden packages to Idalia Society members and friends. Courtney Masterson is the Monarch and Native Plant Program Manager for Bridging the Gap™ and has worked in prairies for eight years, focusing on invasive plant species control, plant-animal interactions and native seed collection and propagation. Free to the public.

ANYONE CAN BE A GROWER!

State Line Rd.

GKC Gardeners of America Mon, May 2, meet at 6pm Kauffman Garden parking lot (4800 Rockhill Rd, Kansas City, MO), guided tour begins at 6:30pm. Duane Hoover, director, will guide our tour and show us the beautiful additions to the garden.

The Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden draws inspiration from the couple’s journey through life and their commitment to share with others. It is an enduring gift for Kansas City that extends the legacy of a gracious couple and welcomes visitors to a vibrant landscape throughout the year. The Kauffmans’ world travels inspired the creation of a space comparable to parks throughout Europe. The garden features bronze sculptures

by Tom Corbin among lush and colorful annual and perennial plantings, pruned foliage framed by stone walls, brick walkways and playful fountains. Come and learn more. Nonmembers are always welcome. For additional information, contact Margaret Singer at 816942-8889 or Vince Vogel at 816-313-8733.

Heart of America Gesneriad Sat, May 21, 10am-1pm; at Loose Park Garden Center, 51st and Wornall, Kansas City, MO. Membership. 816-513-8590

Plants & Pumpkins

Holmes Rd.

GKC Dahlia Society Sun, Jun 12, 1-3pm; at Loose Park Garden Center, 51st and Wornall, Kansas City, MO. There will be a demonstration on getting your dahlias off to a good start. Members will be available to answer any questions on dahlias.

Anyone interested in growing dahlias is welcome to attend! 816-513-8590

GKC Water Garden Society Tues, May 17, our annual plant exchange.

The exchange will take place outside in the North West area beside the Planetarium. We usually have a bounty of water garden plants such as, lilies, lotus, rush, cattails, iris and bamboo. In the past we have had perennial flowers, shrubs, cannas, iris, day lilies, herbs, and a host of other plants. Please bring your plants for the exchange at 5pm so we can organize them by category. Be sure to bring bags and pots to transport your plants home.

Our featured speaker is Deb Spencer from Waters Edge in Lawrence, Kansas. After the plant exchange, Deb will be speaking on what is new in plants and water treatments, including a different approach to establishing an ecological balance in the water garden.

Membership costs $35 for individuals and $45 for a couple. With your membership you have an opportunity to receive free fish from the fish rescue team, plants at the exchange, a monthly newsletter full of gardening tips and information, and free tickets to the 23rd annual public water garden tour. See you there! www.kcwatergardens.com

Additional Specials Emailed directly to you.

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Mon-Sat. 9am-6pm • Sun. 11am-5pm

816-331-1067

johnsonfarms.net The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

37

Locally Grown Plants for Distinctive Landscapes Premium Spring Annuals • Hanging Baskets • Flowering Trees and Shrubs Perennials and Groundcovers • Lawn Care Products • Topsoil and Mulch FREE Plant for Mom! May 6-8 With purchase, while supplies last.

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www.lomavistanursery.com/garden-center

Upcoming Garden Events places to go, things to do, people to see

(continued from page 37) Kansas City Cactus & Succulent Society Sun, May 15, 1:30-4pm; at Loose Park Garden Center, 51st St and Wornall Rd, Kansas City, MO. Visitors are welcome. For information on Garden Center events, call 816-513-8590.

Also on Sat, May 14, 8am-5pm, KCCSS will have a “mini” show and sale at Powell Gardens, Hwy 50, Kingsville, MO. Kansas City Rose Society Thurs, May 5 and May 12, 9-10am; at Loose Park Garden Center, 51st St and Wornall Rd, Kansas City, MO. Groomers Training. 816513-8590 Leavenworth Co Master Gardeners Wed, May 13, 11am; at Riverfront Community Center, 123 Esplanade St, Leavenworth, KS 66048. Rob Mortko (the Hosta Guy) will present, “Growing Better Hostas-Lessons Learned from the Greenhouse”. Rob is a Johnson County Master Gardener and serves on the Executive board of the American Hosta Society. The meeting is free. Visitors are welcome. For more information call Melony Lutz at 913-484-4568 or the Leavenworth Co Ext office at 913-364-5700.

Leawood Garden Club Tues, Jun 28, 10:30am; at Cure of Ars Catholic Church, 9401 Mission Rd, Leawood, KS. At about noon, Sandy Wessling, Horticultural Therapist at Crittenton Children’s Center, will present “Horticultural Therapy – What it is and Where it is Used.” The meeting is open to everyone and guests are most welcome.

Bring a sack lunch – beverages and desserts provided. For more information, please visit www.leawoodgardenclub.org, send an email to leawoodgardenclub@gmail.com or call 913-642-3317.

Mid America Begonia Society Sat, May 21, 1-4pm; at Loose Park Garden Center, 51st and Wornall, Kansas City, MO. Membership. 816-513-8590

Swan’s Water Gardens We carry a complete line of Pond Care Products.

Microbe Lift, Winston Crystal Clear, Pond Balance, and Our own Private Label.

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913-837-3510

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May 2016 | kcgmag.com

Northland Garden Club Tues, May 17, at 7pm; at Sherwood Bible Church, 4900 N Norton, Kansas City, MO (just south and west of Penguin Park). This month is the annual Plant Exchange. How it works: bring a plant and exchange for a plant.

Plants will be for sale at reasonable prices. www.northlandgardenclub.com.

Olathe Garden and Civic Club Wed, May 4, 8am-?; sale will be held in Olathe at 18505 W 114th St. This can be reached from north Ridgeview Rd, south of College Blvd, north of 119th St. Big variety of plants from members’ gardens. Club members will have a short meeting during the sale. Any questions, call Joan Shriver, 913-492-3566.

Orchid Society of Greater Kansas City Sun, May 15, Beginners Group for new growers 1:30-2:15pm. General meeting and presentation at 2:15; at the Lenexa Senior Center, 13420 Oak St. Leon Glicenstein: “A Costa Rica Odyssey, a Journey through Orchid-Rich Costa Rica”. Ribbon Judging of locally-grown orchids. Come join the fun. Open to the public.

For more info, www.osgkc.org Overland Park Gardeners of America Mon, Jun 13, 7pm; at a member’s garden, 1004 E Layton Dr, Olathe, KS 66061. Many

of us are interested in Larysa’s garden because we have seen the many pictures she posts to our public group on Facebook. She moved to this country with a love of gardening and a thirst for knowledge about our soil, climate and all the other things that go with gardening in the the midwest. She welcomes input on keeping her treasured plants alive and on making her garden more organized. The public is welcome and we will try to carpool from our regular meeting site, 71st and Mission Rd, Prairie Village, KS. For any questions, call Sallie Wiley 913-236-5193.

Sho-Me African Violet Club Fri, May 13, 11am-2pm; at Loose Park Garden Center, 51st and Wornall, Kansas City, MO. Membership. 816-513-8590

Events, Lectures & Classes May Annual Tuber Root Sale The Greater Kansas City Dahlia Society will hold its annual root (tuber) sale at Loose Park Garden Center, 52nd St and Wornall Rd, Kansas City, MO on these dates and times: Fri, Apr 29, 1-4pm - Members only preview (a good reason to join for only $5/year). Sat, Apr 30, 8am-3pm - Open to the public.

Landscaping for Wildlife and Pollinators Thurs, May 5, 11:30am-1pm; in the Sunflower Room at the Wyandotte County Extension Office, 1208 N 79th St, Kansas City, KS. As much as gardeners like birds and butterflies, we usually hesitate to include wildlife habitats, fearing a weedy mess. The goals of beauty and habitat can be achieved together, with a garden design easily including the specific plants that provide food and shelter for wildlife and pollinators while still remaining beautiful for the humans. The class will be taught by Meg Mullett, a Johnson County Extension Master Gardener and Kansas Master Naturalist, who has been gardening for 40 years. She not only grows food for her family, but also maintains an attractive landscape for wildlife using only organic methods. Sponsored by the Wyandotte County Extension Master Gardeners. Fee: $5.00, payable at the door. Registration not required. 913-299-9300 Refresh Your Landscape Fri, May 6, 10–11am; at Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, 8909 W 179th St, Overland Park, KS 66013. Join Libby Irving, who has a BS in Horticulture and Landscape Design, in learning how to refresh your landscapes. If you are tired of the same old perennials and builder’s grade landscaping, Libby can help. Bring photos of your garden and receive tailored ideas to make improvements. www.opabg.org OPA Plant Sale Fri, May 6, 9am-7pm and Sat, May 7, 9am3pm; at Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, 8909 W 179th Street, Overland Park, KS 66013. There’s no better place to outfit your home and garden than the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens’ Spring Plant Sale. Stroll the Arboretum gardens for inspiration then choose your plants from an impressive list of locally-grown annuals and perennials plus an outstanding selection of herbs. No

pre-registration necessary, no admission fee required. www.opabg.org Attracting Hummingbirds Sat, May 7, 10am–2:30pm; at Anita B Gorman Discovery Center, 4750 Troost Ave, Kansas City, MO 64110. Walk-in (all ages) The rubythroated hummingbird is one of Missouri’s most fascinating birds! Would you like to learn how to attract these summer visitors by providing food sources for them in your yard or garden? Join us as we learn about the native plants, insects and sweet nectar loved by this tiny creature, also known as nature’s helicopter! For more information email discoverycenter@mdc.mo.gov Annual Plant Sale Sat, May 7, 8am until sold out; Bass Pro Shops, I-70 & 291 Hwy, Independence, MO. Rain or shine. The Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City have a reputation for offering great plants at reasonable prices. Hundreds of annuals and perennials will be available that are specifically selected and grown by Master Gardeners for this region. The annuals are grown in a local Master Gardener greenhouse, and the perennials are local favorites, well suited to our soil and locally grown in the MGGKC members own yards. Shop early!

To learn more about the Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City (MGGKC) and upcoming plant sale, please visit http://www.mggkc.org/.

Central Missouri Master Gardeners 19th Annual Indoor Plant Sale Sat, May 7, 7am-noon; at Jaycee Fairgrounds, 1445 Fairgrounds Rd, Jefferson City, MO. Follow the plant sale progress and see what’s for sale on www.facebook.com/centralmissourimastergardenersplantsale or our website www.centralmissourimastergardeners. org. For questions about the sale, please contact Julie at 573-295-6263 or jlong@ktis.net.

GHF Native Plant Sale Sat, May 14, 9:30am–1:30pm; at Lawrence Public Library Lawn, 707 Vermont St, Lawrence, KS. Sponsored by Grassland Heritage Foundation. The 4th Annual Sale will feature more common native plants like New England Aster as well as more unusual natives like Purple Prairie Clover and even Rattlesnake Master. We’ll also have a variety of milkweeds, grasses, and shade tolerant plants. This will be one of the few times this year that such a large selection of native plants will be available locally. All plants will be $4.00 each. For more information, www. grasslandheritage.org, follow us on Facebook, or contact us at ghfplantsale@gmail.com or 785-840-8104.

Annual Spring Plant Sale Sat, May 14, 9:30am-2:30pm; at Faith Lutheran Church, 4805 W 67th St (67th & Roe), Prairie Village, KS. Sponsored by Heartland Hosta & Shade Plant Society. There will be a great collection of newer hostas and other lovely perennials, including arisaemas, great ferns and variegated Solomon Seal, plus mini hostas so wonderful for your troughs and Fairy Gardens. You won’t want to miss this sale! Some quantities are limited, so you will want to arrive early. The sale is open to the public, Bring a friend! For info, Gwen 816-213-0598.

National Train Day Sat, May 14, 10am-2pm; at Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, 8909 W 179th St (just west of Antioch). Activities, all included with admission – Operation Life Saver will be there to education about rail safety. 99.7 The Point will be giving away Lipton tea from 11am-12pm, while supplies last. Trackless train ride for the whole family. Crafts for the kids. Facepainting. Train Themed Games. Kids can run our trains. Sale

of our overstock rolling stock. Learn about our new rail layout. All will take place at the train garden, Leatherwood Depot and the Freight House. 913-685-3604; www.opabg.org

Medicinal Garden Weeds/Herbal First Aid Sun, May 15, 1-5pm; at Hoot Owl Hill, 30750 Osawatomie Rd, Paola, KS 66071. Class fee $80. **This is an extended double seminar, with a snack break in between classes** Instructor: Joanne Bauman, herbalist. If you are intrigued by herbal first-aid but don’t know where to begin, this is your class. Learn how to use herbal remedies and prepare your first aid kit. Plants readily available right in the backyard will be identified and utilized as well. Learn how to stop the itch and sting of insect bites and ease spider bites. Ways to draw out splinters, and treat boils, minor cuts, scrapes and wounds. Staunch minor bleeding.

Naturally sanitize and disinfect. Ease the pain and discoloration from bruises & sprains.

Soothe sunburn, minor burns, rashes and poison ivy. Calm an upset tummy or diarrhea.

Relieve headaches, ear aches and other aches/ pains. Use antifungal herbs to alleviate athlete’s foot and more. Included are recipes for you to easily and confidently create and use your own herbal first aid. Ever wonder what’s growing in your yard Or other wild places?

These ordinary weeds have extraordinary nutritional and medicinal values. This class we will show and tell about how to find, identify, harvest, prepare and use common weeds.

We’ll discuss their use in remedying such issues as skin conditions, cough and bronchitis, hot flashes, women’s reproductive concerns, cysts and swollen glands, joint aches, osteoporosis, urinary tract problems, digestive disturbances, removing heavy metals, supporting liver, kidney, lymphatic systems of the body, and providing tons of vitamins and minerals. Make your class reservations & payment by contacting brenda@hootowlgardens. com. 913-271-7451

Planting flowers or a garden?

Then you need to have your underground facilities marked!

Missouri law requires that any person making or beginning any excavation notify MOCS. Placing a locate request is free and easy!

Call 1-800-DIG-RITE (800-344-7483) or 811.

For more information, visit mo1call.com.

Bird Walk Sun, May 15, 8:15–10am; at Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, 8909 W 179th Street, Overland Park, KS 66013. Local expert, Trent Reed will lead this very informative bird walk. Each session varies on what birds are spotted. Duration is one hour, plus additional time as needed. Please dress appropriately (closed toe shoes and long pants are recommended). Bug repellent and binoculars are encouraged. Registration is required, as walks fill up fast. www.opabg.org Plant Exchange Mon, May 16, 8-10am; at Rotary Plaza, corner of Gallatin and Franklin Streets. Sponsored by Town and Country Garden Club, in existence in Liberty since 1947. Bring a plant from your personal garden to share and take one home.

No early birds, please!

Private Gardens Public Tour Fri, May 20 and Sat, May 21. This popular event is only held every other year. Tour tickets for this springtime, rain-or-shine event are $12 before May 1, and $15 after. Tickets are available through Johnson County Extension, can also be purchased at any Johnson County Hen House Market or at any of the six gardens during days of the tour. Maps and directions are provided with each ticket. To learn more, take a virtual tour, at www.johnson.k-state. edu or call 913-715-7000.

Master Gardeners of Johnson County MO Spring Plant and Garden Art Sale Sat, May 21, 9am-1pm; at Blind Boone Park, located on West Pine Street, South of Business 50 Hwy in Warrensburg. Watch for signs that day. This annual sale features a variety of plants including perennials, house plants, herbs and more. Stepping stones, concrete

One free, easy call gets your utility lines marked AND helps protect you from injury and expense.

Safe Digging Is No Accident: “Always Call Before You Dig in Kansas” Call 811, 1-800-DIG-SAFE, (800-344-7233) or visit us at www.kansas811.com.

(continued on page 40)

The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

39

Upcoming Garden Events places to go, things to do, people to see

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May 2016 | kcgmag.com

leaf castings, bird houses and other garden art will also be available for sale. Proceeds from the sale will go to a horticulture scholarship at UCM and maintenance of community gardens. In addition to the sale, Master Gardeners will have information on alternative gardening techniques. While you are there, enjoy the wildflower garden that has been planted and maintained by JOCO Master Gardeners.

mile west of Douglas/Colbern Rds intersection), Lee’s Summit, MO 64086. James will demonstrate the technique for pruning tomato plants this time of year. Also, he will discuss choosing variety of tomatoes, planting tips, picking and care of plants so you can bring fresh produce to your dinner table. You will leave with handouts after a digital presentation, questions and answers. Fee:$10.00/free for members. Cash or check only. Call for reservations: 816-769-0259, leave a message.

Troost Festival Sat, May 21, Noon–10pm; at Anita B Gorman Discovery Center, 4750 Troost Ave, Kansas City, MO 64110. Join the Discovery Center staff at the 12th Annual Troost Ave Festival located at 31st St and Troost Ave. This family friendly street fair will have a diverse mix of music, dancers and other performances, children’s activities and food. The Discovery Center staff will be at the festival from noon until 2:30pm so stop by, say hello and try out the fun activity we will have. For more information email discoverycenter@mdc.mo.gov

Lawn Edging Made Easy Sat, Jun 4, 9-11:30am; at Powell Gardens.

Learn to create and maintain natural dirt edging around trees and flower beds. You will receive the Gourmet Yardener’s manual complete with directions and illustrations.

Bring a pair of work gloves and dress for light yard work to participate in the hands-on training portion, if desired. $37/person, $30/ member. Registration required by May 30. To register call Linda Burton at 816-697-2600 ext. 209. Or register online at powellgardens. org/AdultClasses.

Iris Flower Show Sat, May 21; at Trailside Center at the corner of 99th and Holmes. Set-up and Judging 8am; Open to the public 1-4pm. Theme: “Summer Olympics”. There’s sure to be a beautiful display of the latest varieties as well as heirloom varieties for your enjoyment. Participation is open to the public. If you would like to enter specimens or designs in the competition, call 913-406-2709; www.kciris.org.

Super Succulent Wreath Sat, Jun 4, 10am-noon; at Powell Gardens.

Plant a succulent wreath using an 11-inchsquare form with guidance from a seasoned succulent expert. Learn to care for your living wreath and discover new favorite succulent varieties. Bring gloves, wear closed-toe shoes and prepare for creative fun. $44/person, $39/ member. Registration required by May 30. To register call Linda Burton at 816-697-2600 ext. 209. Or register online at powellgardens. org/AdultClasses.

(continued from page 39)

Herb-Infused Vinegars, Oils & Butters Sat, May 28, 10am-noon; at Powell Gardens.

Using herbs, fruits and more, learn how to make flavorful infusions and how to use them in recipes. Learn about the fresh herbs you can grow, harvest and use to accentuate your cooking in new ways. Taste several infusions and leave with a sample, recipes and preparation suggestions. $35/person, $27/member.

Registration required by May 23. To register call Linda Burton at 816-697-2600 ext.

209. Or register online at powellgardens.org/ AdultClasses.

Summer Fun With Container Creations Sat, May 28, 1–2pm; Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, 8909 W 179th Street, Overland Park, KS 66013. Join us and Donna Sagen, owner of Container Creations, author of Summer Fun With Container Creations and Kansas Master Gardener for this fun and informative class. Fee includes her book. She will simplify container gardening for your home.

She’ll cover the right plants, layouts, planting tips and basic care. Most of all, she makes container gardening fun! www.opabg.org

June Plant Disease Identification Thurs, Jun 2, 11:30am-1pm; in the Sunflower Room of the Wyandotte County Extension Office, 1208 N 79th St, Kansas City, KS. Wyandotte Co Extension Master Gardeners hosting speaker Judy O’Mara who holds a BS in Agriculture Biology and a MS in Plant Pathology. She is a diagnostician and instructor at K-State Univ in Manhattan. Fee: $5.00 payable at the door. Registration not required.

The Tomato Whisperer, James Worley Sat, Jun 4, 10-11:30am; at The Gardens at Unity Village, 150B NW Colbern Rd (1/4

Leavenworth County Garden Tour Sat, Jun 11, 9am-3pm; Leavenworth County Master Gardeners will host six beautiful Leavenworth County gardens. Tickets are $10, cash or check. Tickets may be purchased at the Leavenworth County Extension office starting April 1st; additional locations will be added later. This event will occur rain or shine. Please no strollers or pets. For additional information please call Melony Lutz at 913-484-4568 or the Leavenworth County Extension office at 913-363-5700.

Is Seed Saving for you?

Sat, Jun 11, 10-11am; at The Gardens at Unity Village 150B NW Colbern Rd. (1/4 mile west of Douglas/Colbern Rds intersection), Lee’s Summit, MO 64086. Dayna McDaniel, founder of the Seed Savers-KC Seed Library will be showing you how to keep those precious seeds to save money in the future. She’ll share information from choosing the seeds to storing. Fee: $10.00/free for members. Cash or check only.

Union Hill Garden Tour Sun, Jun 12, 11am-4pm. The self-guided tour starts at 31st Street and Grand Avenue. Walk through over a dozen residential and community gardens. Free parking is available in the KCPT lots at 31st Street and Grand Avenue.

Admission is $10.00 for adults and $8.00 for seniors (over age 60). Kids under 12 are free.

Half of this year’s proceeds will benefit the neighboring historic Union Cemetery. This is one of Kansas City’s most unique garden tours in a historic Victorian neighborhood, just south of Crown Center. For more information, visit us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ unionhillgardentour or email: unionhillgardentour@gmail.com

Farm-To-Table Favorites, Kids Who Cook Thurs, Jun 16, 6:30pm; at Kansas City Academy, 7933 Main St, KCMO. The Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City present: Bistro Kids Chef Mark Zukaitis, Jr and Kansas City Academy middle and high school students will prepare and share garden fresh fare from local farms and the on-site school kitchen garden. This charming yet utilitarian urban garden is nestled in the heart of Waldo, located in the parking lot of Kansas City Academy — an independent 6–12 school whose students enjoy its bounty in the form of farm-to-table lunches prepared fresh daily by a professional chef. In addition to the edible benefits provided to the school community, KCA’s garden provides an attractive green space for the neighborhood. The garden is maintained by staff and volunteers, with a covered hoop house to further extend the growing season.

Over summer, the excess bounty is either distributed within the community, through CSA or locally owned restaurants, as well as preserved for use during the school year.

The garden is a main staple for the school’s culinary and farm-to-market lunch programs.

Culinary students are involved in growing, maintaining and harvesting fresh vegetables from the school yard garden for use in the daily farm-to-market lunches. The school garden is made up of primarily greens and herbs, and the vegetables most needed. Guests will be garden-side enjoying fresh appetizers, school and garden tours all while listening to original live music by the KCA Studio Band.

Come join us for a unique evening of delicious food, delightful music and learn all about their school garden and their mission which goes beyond traditional education. Free, but registration and a ticket is required. Limited to 80 attendees. Please register using Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/farm-totable-favorites-from-kids-who-cook-kansascity-academy-school-tickets-19950642910.

Registration begins on May 1 and ends on May 31st. For further information please visit our website www.mggkc.org and browse Gardeners’ Gathering or call 816-665-4456.

North Riverside Garden Stroll in Wichita Sat, Jun 18, 10am-4pm. Enjoy the majestic trees and mature plantings which highlight our unique private gardens. Information on bees, butterflies, birds and blooms will be featured and homeowners will be present to answer questions. Proceeds support neighborhood landscape and improvement projects including our Triangle Landscape Garden and Community Vegetable Garden. North Riverside is just west of Wichita North High School, north of 13th St and between the Little Arkansas and Arkansas rivers. Tickets are available beginning Jun 1 at Johnson’s Garden Centers and at Seasonal Decorating- 2828 W 13th and the day of the Stroll at each neighborhood garden. Tickets for all 5 gardens are $5.

Native Pollinators Dinner and Fundraiser Sun, Jun 19, 5pm tour; 6pm dinner; at The Great Room, Reynolds Alumni Center, 704 Conley Ave, Mizzou Botanic Garden, Columbia, MO. You are invited to celebrate National Pollinators Week with a dinner and fundraiser, and a Native Pollinators Symposium (Jun 23/info below). $50 per person. Cash bar. Auction items. Guest speaker Gary Nabhan, Agricultural Ecologist, Ethnobotanist and Writer from the University

of Arizona. Respond by Jun 1 at 573-8821989 or events@missouri.edu. More information at gardens.missouri.edu.

Native Pollinators Symposium Thurs, Jun 23, 8am-3:30pm; at Monsanto Auditorium, Bond Life Sciences Center, Mizzou Botanic Garden, Columbia, MO. National Pollinators Week continues with this daylong symposium. Experts will highlight and share the importance of pollinators including bees, birds, butterflies and bats.

Discover new information about native pollinator conservation through lectures, roundtable discussions and Q&A with national experts. Tickets for the symposium are free of charge. Speakers are Doug Tallamy, Roy Diblik and others. More information at gardens.missouri.edu.

Wonders of Discovery Fri, Jun 24, 10am-2pm; at Pollinator Prairie, 320 S Blake St, Olathe, KS 66061. The Pollinator Prairie will host a family-friendly event at The Pollinator Prairie in Olathe in conjunction with National Pollinator Week.

Public invited to experience the beauty and benefits of birds, bees, butterflies and bats.

This is a free event and we wish to invite everyone, especially the kids, to this handson event to learn about pollinators and their interactions in the environment. People of all ages are invited to learn about pollinator species with activities including: Honeybee demonstrations by Ron Post, The Beekeeper; Birds of Prey exhibit by Operation Wildlife; Caterpillar and butterfly exhibit by Monarch Watch; Hands-on kids activities hosted by the K-State Extension Master Gardeners Wildlife Habitat Committee. This event is free and open to the public. Jennifer Kingston 913-6931905; JKingston@HaleyAldrich.com Cottage Gardeners of Weston Country Gardens Tour Fri and Sat, Jun 24 and 25, 9am-4pm. Enjoy a drive through rural, Western Platte County as you visit five, beautiful country gardens.

You’ll see a fairy garden, his and her’s vegetable and inspiration gardens, wide open vistas and sheltered areas. All of the gardens are reflections of their owners, as different as they can be. Come spend a day in the country and dream with us. Tickets are $10. More information at http://cottagegardenersweston.com/ Breakfast & Blooms at the Bingham Breakfast & garden tour!

Sat, Jun 25, 8am-3pm; at Bingham Waggoner Estate, Independence, MO. Between 8am to 10am, enjoy the simple pleasures of a home style breakfast – eggs, sausage, country potatoes and all the trimmings. Homemade baked goods will be available at the Bake Sale, so plan to take some home! Come hungry and leave well fed! Garden tours begin at 10.

The grounds of the Bingham will look lovely and will be the start of the tour. The tour will feature private local gardens, all of which will be a pleasure to visit! Tickets for Breakfast & Blooms are $25 – this ticket includes breakfast, the garden tour and a tour of the Bingham Waggoner Estate to be used the day of the garden tour or any day by Oct 31, 2016. If you’d like to come for breakfast only, tickets are $11. For tickets please call Shireen at 816-461-3491.

Promote your gardening events!

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The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

41

May

garden calendar n LAWN

• Verticut or core aerate zoysia to reduce thatch layer.

• Sod or sprig zoysia bare areas.

• Fertilize zoysia with high nitrogen to promote green-up and summer growth.

• Mow zoysia at 1 to 2 inches tall.

• If watering during summer, apply slow-release fertilizer to bluegrass and tall fescue.

• Mow bluegrass and tall fescue at 3 inches.

• Spot treat broadleaf weeds.

• Withhold early summer watering until needed to promote more drought-tolerant lawns.

• Let clippings fall to return needed nutrients to the turf.

• Keep mower blade sharp for a clean cut.

n VEGETABLES AND FRUITS

• Plant tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants in early May. • Seed sweet corn, cucumbers, squash, beans and other warm season vegetables.

• Lightly cultivate soil with a hoe to control weed growth.

• Mound soil around potato plants to encourage tuber formation.

• Harvest fresh asparagus until the spear size decreases.

• Remove rhubarb seed stalks to encourage leaf growth.

• Plant kitchen herbs for summer use in dishes or food preservation.

• Treat fruit trees with needed pesticides to control insects and disease.

• Thin heavy fruit set on apples to increase fruit size and next year’s crop.

• Harvest salad crops and enjoy.

• Keep broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage well fed for big yields.

n TREES AND SHRUBS

• Plant new trees and shrubs.

• Water young ornamentals as needed.

• Remove tree wraps for summer growth.

• Remove tree stakes that have been in place more than one growing season.

• Fertilize trees to help increase growth rates.

• Prune spring flowering shrubs after bloom to shape plant and encourage flowers next year.

• Mulch around young trees and shrubs to conserve moisture and control weed growth.

• Caution, use line trimmers around trees and shrubs so as not to damage tender bark.

n FLOWERS

• Plant annual flowers for summer color.

• Continue to plant and divide perennials.

• Mulch perennial and annual gardens for weed control and moisture retention.

• Begin pinching chrysanthemums for bushier plants.

• Do not remove foliage from spring bulbs until it dies down naturally, this develops stronger blooms for next year.

• Plant container gardens and hanging baskets using a good quality potting mix.

• Keep a garden journal for permanent reference.

n HOUSEPLANTS

• Move plants outdoors for summer by gradually increasing the exposure to sunlight.

• Fertilize plants to promote summer development.

• Rotate plants to develop a well-rounded plant.

• Wash dusty leaves in the shower under room temperature water.

• Four- to six-inch cuttings are a great way to start new plants.

• Repot plants into a one-inch larger pot.

• Check for insects.

Johnson County K-State Research and Extension recommends environmentally-friendly gardening practices. This starts by identifying and monitoring problems. Cultural practices and controls are the best approach for a healthy garden. If needed, use physical, biological or chemical controls. Always consider the least toxic approach first. Dennis Patton is the horticulture agent for Johnson County K-State Research and Extension.

For free information fact sheets, visit www.johnson.ksu.edu, or call the Extension office at 913-715-7000.

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Dig for more at kcgmag.com GAR G A RENEDREN E R N D E D R A G E Be The K Th e Ka ns as Ci ty C ity a n s a s C Th e Ka ns as ity A M on th ly Gu A Mon thly Guid October 2014 ning e to Succ essfu l Gard enin Succe ssful Garde

id e to Su cc

es sf ul

Ga rd

yond th e Wate Butterflies and Bee s Love These rlilies Spooky Plants

to A Month ly Guide

for the October

g

August 2015

en in

g

• Find a Professional for the next project

R

July

2015

Garden

ity with Grasses Beauty and Divers een Not Just for HallowCall 811 Orange and Black: Lemo rd of Digth Control BeforeBiYou n Park ly: Beau for Better WeedsDayli eM ty for More Identif Decisyion Time: ThanBu a tte Dayrfl onth: Blue ShouSeeded In the ld You Lawn bird of Newly g y Remove Ask Feedin and the YourGaAsh rdenTree Conserva Proper Care Experts about weed with tories control, oozin g sap and more Marvin Snyder

Magazine archives

• See where to pick up the current issue

Extension Master Gardeners are ready to answer your gardening questions.

Get your garden growing.

• Hotlines to answer your questions

CASS COUNTY

• Weather report and planting dates

DOUGLAS COUNTY

• Look for garden clubs

GREATER KANSAS CITY MISSOURI AREA

Million Pollinator Garden Challenge

785-843-7058; mastergardener@douglas-county.com; Mon-Fri, 1-4pm

JOHNSON COUNTY, KS

A campaign to register a million public and private gardens and landscapes to support pollinators.

You can help replenish the population of pollinators by planting a pollinator garden. Choose appropriate pollinator-friendly plants then register your garden. Help reach 1 million new pollinator gardens!

660-380-8460; Wed, 9am-noon

816-833-8733 (TREE); Mon-Fri, 9am-noon; mggkc.hotline@gmail.com River Market, 105 E 5th St, KCMO, 1st and 3rd Sat, May-Sep, 8am-noon

• Upcoming events

Learn more at KCGMAG.COM

Hotlines for Gardeners

913-715-7050; Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm; garden.help@jocogov.org

JOHNSON COUNTY, MO

660-747-3193; Wed, 9am-noon

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY

913-364-5700; Apr 4 thru Sep 29, Mon 10am-1pm, Thurs 1-4pm

MIAMI COUNTY

913-294-4306; Thurs, 9am-noon

WYANDOTTE COUNTY

913-299-9300; Mon, Wed, Fri, 9am-4pm

Professional’s Corner Meet Julie Dervin of Haling’s Greenhouse Job description: My work at this locally owned greenhouse varies: planter, flower designer, quality controller, customer service expert, farmer’s market vendor… essentially whatever needs to be done. Haling’s is truly a small business and we work to establish a relationship with each customer. We may be the only greenhouse this tiny that still grows 99% of our plants, with no automation and all work is completed on site. You should come see the great variety.

What inspires you: It has to be the chance to work with great people in a beautiful place, where the customers are usually happy coming in and happier when they leave. For me and my garden, I love all the different colors of flowers and plants, and being able to mix the textures and types of plants that make my yard beautiful, from the beginning of the growing season until the end.

Favorite plant: That’s a tough question. It would be a plant that can tolerate the Kansas heat, sun and wind. Purple supertunias as my favorite flower. They have beautiful blooms and they get nice and full and spill over pots. However, Lava rose coleus is a non flowering plant that really fills a pot, add texture and is very versatile. It’s also a trailer and is colorful all summer. And last year I tried a coffee cup elephant ear and loved watching how the water would pool in the leaf and slowly drop down and drip from the tip of the leaf.

Favorite garden destination: Butchart Gardens on Victoria Island BC is beautiful, where every type of garden is displayed. Perennials and annuals are mixed and placed together to make huge spaces of color. It’s sensory overload. However, two years ago I had the pleasure of visiting the Denver Botanic Gardens and was impressed with how they mixed vegetable gardening with flowering annuals. There was also a Chihuly exhibit where art was mixed in among the plantings.

It was beautiful and provided plenty of practical ideas.

What every gardener should know: Do you know which direction your house faces?

That is one of the deciding factors when selecting plants for sun or shade (trees excluded). Also note if the area to plant gets both sun and shade, and for how long.

Contact information: 75th & Lamar, Prairie Village, KS; Hours Mon. through Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun. 12 to 5 p.m.; Find us on Facebook; ph 913-642-5034.

The Kansas City Gardener | May 2016

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