Interested in Oaks? Check this out… June 12, 2009

It’s mid-June, and everything is about as green as it will get this year in the Great Plains. We’ve been blessed with some rain as of late, and the hot summer winds haven’t arrived yet to dry out the midwest.

It’s the perfect time of year to head down to your local botanical garden, and if you live near Omaha, that would be Lauritzen Gardens.

And, as a bonus, there’s a great speaker at the gardens next week — Guy Sternberg, an expert on oaks.

Here’s the press release:

Summer Solstice Lecture and Celebration
“Majesty and Diversity of Bur Oak”
featuring Guy Sternberg
Tuesday, June 23 at 7 p.m.

You are invited to attend this captivating lecture featuring Guy Sternberg, founding member and past president of the International Oak Society.

Celebrate the majestic bur oak as Sternberg reveals why it is considered one of the most widespread and diverse of all North American trees. See magnificent examples of this great tree and review differences displayed by specimens grown throughout its native range.

There are perhaps 500 or more oak species on Earth – no one knows exactly. Many of them are found in secluded, fascinating parts of the world, and many cannot be grown outside their native habitats.

Sternberg has cultivated and studied trees since 1952 and has one of the most extensive oak collections in North America at Starhill Forest Arboretum.

This lecture series celebrates Summer Solstice — the first day of summer and the longest day of the year — and is made possible by a generous gift from the Lawrence and Mae Youngman and Jim and Judy Wigton families. Cost is $10 for members and $14 for non-members. Space is limited. Please call (402) 346-4002 ext. 201 or e-mail m.sears@omahabotanicalgardens.org to register and make payment by June 18.

The café will be open for dinner prior to the lecture from 5 to 7 p.m. After the lecture, guests will enjoy a light dessert reception and have an opportunity to meet Guy Sternberg.

Lauritzen Gardens Plant Sale May 1, 2009

It’s that time of year… Plant sales! If you’re in the metro area over the weekend, you might be interested in stopping by Omaha’s Lauritzen Gardens to check out their plant sale. Nine other organizations and garden clubs will also be offering plants for sale. Info below:

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Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days 

 This celebration of spring is the only time each year Lauritzen Gardens offers an opportunity for visitors to purchase plants. The annual plant sale features hundreds of plants found within the garden. There are more than 5,000 plants on sale from Lauritzen Gardens as well as a wide variety on sale from area garden clubs and plant societies.

More info at their site…

Farmers’ Market Info Added May 1, 2009

Well, it’s the first week of May, and that means that local Farmers’ Markets are set to kick off the season this weekend!

To help you find a source of local food near you, we’ve got a list of Farmers’ Markets in the Omaha and Lincoln area added to the main site.

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As I mentioned before, I’m going to be attempting to bring some produce from my little quarter-acre garden to market this year, but I won’t be participating in the opening weekend. I don’t think anyone wants to buy 6″ high celery stalks and small, rabbit-mangled broccoli. When things are in full swing at Armbrust Farms later this summer, though, I’ll be posting updates of my progress and experiences at the Omaha Farmers’ Market, right here on the blog.

Mother’s Day Weekend Plant Sale and Designer Showhouse April 29, 2009

Just received this release, and I thought our readers would be interested to know about this upcoming plant sale in Omaha.

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   Mother’s Day Plant Sale

Hard-to-find plants will be on sale Mother’s Day weekend when Nebraska Statewide Arboretum joins Joslyn Castle Trust to offer Mother’s Day weekend activities, with a plant sale May 9 and a May 9-10 sneak peek at the Brandeis Mansion, 500 South 38th Street, before remodeling begins. The plant sale will include wildflowers like prairie smoke — with early spring blossoms, feathery pink seedheads and beautiful maroon fall foliage; nodding ladies’ tresses, a small orchid delicate in appearance but native to Nebraska’s prairies; and fremont’s clematis, a non-vining prairie native with purplish urn-shaped flowers.  The arboretum’s Bob Henrickson said “One of my favorites is threadleaf amsonia, a long-lived perennial for dry shade with starry flowers in May-June and feathery yellow fall foliage.”

There also will be shade-loving woodland plants and shrub viburnums for year-round garden interest.  The plant sale will run from 9 am to 2. “Some of these plants can be hard to find, and we want to give gardeners an opportunity to try them,” Henrickson said.

The plant sale is open to the public. A complete plant list is on the arboretum website at http://arboretum.unl.edu/plantsales or call 402/472-2971.

The Omaha Rose Society will have potted miniature roses for sale on Saturday and again on Sunday at a Mother’s Day weekend special price. 

   Tours of Brandeis Mansion

In partnership with the ASID-NE/IA Chapter, Joslyn Castle Trust is sponsoring the 2009 Designer Showhouse May 9-10, giving the public a preview look at the historic mansion in its current condition for $2 per person from 9am to 4pm.

“This is a not-to-be missed opportunity to see one of Omaha’s Gold Coast mansions before design work returns it to its former glory. We hope shoppers will tour it now and return in September to see it restored to its original splendor” said Nano Little, Executive Director of the Joslyn Castle Trust.  “And what better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than buying plants and touring a historic mansion?”

Proceeds from house tours benefit the ongoing restoration and preservation of the Joslyn Castle property. A portion of the proceeds from the plant sale will also go to support Joslyn Castle restoration. For more information, go to www.joslyncastle.com or call (402) 595-2199.  

New Issue Forthcoming! April 14, 2009

The newest issue of Nature’s Companion should be hitting garden centers near you next week, just in time for the spring gardening rush.

While we’re proud of how well our first issue turned out, we think you’ll really enjoy the new Spring edition of Nature’s Companion.

It’ll be packed full of articles ranging from gardening prose that makes you think, informational articles that help you learn a few new tidbits of horticultural goodness, recipes for the vegetables that’ll be producing before you know it, and much, much more.

So be sure to look for the new Spring edition of Nature’s Companion, hot off the presses in the third of fourth week of April!

Spring is here! (Technically…) April 4, 2009

 

An iris emerging from the soil. (Photo by Ryan Armbrust)

It’s April 4th, a good two weeks into spring. As usual, Nebraska weather has kept us on our toes, with a few days in the 70s and a few in the 20s. The forecast calls for a few inches of snow tonight, further putting a damper on our hopes of spring finally breaking free of winter for the year.

There are buds on the tree — and a few leaves starting to break out. Tulips, hyacinths and other early bulbs are breaking through the soil, and should be sending up blooms soon. Is there anything in your yard that’s blooming? I’ve heard reports of bloodroot starting to bloom across eastern Nebraska.

With lows in the high 20s forecast for the next week, it’s still probably too early for anyone to be in the garden with anything but cool-season vegetables in cold frames. Perhaps some are having success with their own tricks to get the garden started early? Care to share your methods?

As always, if you have any questions for our staff, photos or stories you’d like to share, or just want to get in contact with us here at Nature’s Companion, just send an email to me here at rarmbrust@naturescompanion.net.

Welcome to the blog February 27, 2009

Hello!

This blog, SEEDS, will serve as a way for us, the folks behind Nature’s Companion, to interact with you, the reader.

In the near future, we’ll be asking for your questions for our experts, to be answered in a “mailbag” format on the Nature’s Companion website.

We’ll be posting photos — both those submitted by readers and those taken by our own Nature’s Companion staff.

You can also look forward to some blogging on all topics regarding horticulture on the Great Plains. Including accounts of my own attempt to sell some produce at the Omaha Farmer’s Market this upcoming summer. That should be interesting…

We hope that you’ll find that SEEDS, the Nature’s Companion blog, is a valuable addition to the great articles we have over at NaturesCompanion.net.

Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you around here soon!