Dig This!

Reno County Extension Master Gardeners (RCEMG) will be hosting Music in the Garden, Thursday August 3rd from 6-8pm . Held on the Hutchinson Community College Campus in the Crimson Courtyard area, next to the tennis courts and pond.   The RCEMG Demonstration Garden will provide a lovely backdrop for the music of Larry Welch's Fifty Years Late band. Master Gardeners will be on hand for tours and answering your summer gardening questions. The highlight of the garden are the flowering annuals which are in full bloom at this time of year. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs to relax on a summer evening. Added new this year will be a few activities for youngsters and oldsters alike. The Hutchinson Community Foundation will provide some interactive games made available thru the Placemakers Grant. Also the YMCA will provide a twister game and hula hoops. Finally the HCC chess club will provide a giant chess game for some added fun. This fam

Lovely Look, White Tulips & Phlox This time of year, I like to think back and reflect on how my garden looked this last spring. Gardeners are always making changes or working to improve their garden beds. Something about doing that task in the sultry heat of mid summer reminds me it will be cooler again some day....When I think about improvements, having continuous color production is at the top of my wish list. As I analyze, I break it down in two month  " plant variety color production" increments, asking what colors, textures, plant varieties look like as they unfold starting late March, April and into May/ early June. Kind of a early spring, late spring production list. Giant Allium, foreground & Perennial Salvia Keeping plant  characteristics in mind when I think ahead about what I want to plant in the fall so I can have continuous color for next year's spring garden is fun for me when its too hot to work outdoors mid summer. The following are

Red knockouts & white crepe myrtle in background. Prolific bloomers. Who doesn't have one or more? Using roses in our urban landscapes has become greatly popular, esp. the use of knockout roses. They are so hardly and easy care, home gardeners can't resist adding the color and long lasting blooms knockouts offer to their landscapes. Sold at the big box stores, the sale prices mid summer are hard to resist as well. But, with the popularity of certain shrubs, trees, and plants, we run the risk of over use and over planting esp. in smaller areas like our yards and home gardens. Diseases and pests become more problematic. The many benefits can come with some risks we should learn to recognize.  Colorful easy care. Blooms April to December Up close and wonderful More benefit, they are large enough for a privacy hedge row When to have Concerns Check your rose shrubs frequently, & know what to do to keep your roses healthy. The following g