LINCOLN, Neb. — All gardeners have at least one - that forbidding spot in the landscape where good plants go to die. Some fight the good fight and go kicking and screaming; others seem to wilt and disappear right before a gardener's eyes. And then suddenly - voila! - you find a plant that doesn't just survive in that spot, but actually thrives. More

LINCOLN, Neb. — Trees are the focus of a series of statewide landscape management workshops in October. The morning workshops, aimed at professional landscapers, need advance registration and offer continuing education credits. Afternoon workshops, aimed at the general public and part of the "ReTree Nebraska" initiative, are free and registration is not required. More

LINCOLN, Neb. — On Aug. 28 the small hive beetle, a pest in honey bee colonies, was found in a Lincoln bee hive. A few days later, small hive beetles were collected from an infested hive in Columbus. More

For many weather-weary gardens here in the Great Plains the summer can't end soon enough. The relentless heat and humidity of July and August have taken their toll on many flowering perennials. As the summer season grows old, flower colors begin to fade and the result often is a garden full of green. If you're not ready for plain ol' green then plant some colorful asters to usher in the fall. Asters bloom late into the year – usually in September and October – with masses of daisy-like flowers in shades of pink, red, white, blue, magenta and purple. More

LINCOLN, Neb. — Tree planting and landscape enhancements for public spaces can get a boost from a grant program coordinated by the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and Nebraska Forest Service, both based at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. More

Some plants should be in every garden. Others should be kept out at all costs. The milkweeds qualify on both counts. More

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nominations now are being accepted for a variety of awards from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum that honor individuals and organizations for their contributions in the areas of tree-planting, education, community beautification, landscaping, conservation and education. More

There's nothing common about a hummingbird. They are the smallest bird, coming from the smallest egg and living in the smallest nest; their colors include metallic greens, blues and reds; they have the highest metabolism of any animal, with a heartbeat of well over 600 beats per minute; and they are the only group of birds that can deliberately fly backwards.  More

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LINCOLN, Neb. — Tomatoes may just be the most popular plant grown in Nebraska gardens and patios. To help growers, "Backyard Farmer" now offers a "How to Grow Tomatoes" DVD. More

The poppy mallow (Callirhoe) is a genus of nine species in the mallow family, native to the prairies and grasslands of North America. The mallow family includes some familiar plants, such as hibiscus, hollyhock, cotton and okra. The poppy mallows are beautiful plants, offering a profusion of brightly colored flowers set among deeply cut foliage. But for some reason the poppy mallows haven't earned the same respect as their flowering cousins. The eye-catching flowers of poppy mallows consist of five satiny petals, which may be open flat or almost closed like a cup. They generally start flowering in late May through June, and often continue until frost if cut back. More