A slower pace

The first couple of times I drove past this barn I reminded myself that I was working and stayed on task.  The road past the barn took me to the growing fields for work where we have hundreds of acres of trees.  I was in the area to meet with our tree grower to tour the fields and take pictures for marketing materials for the nursery.  

However, it really wouldn't hurt to just lean out the car window and take a few pictures while driving by.  Then, I saw the tire swing hanging below a giant Catalpa.  Suddenly the pace slowed with a reminder of the swing my mom's parents had in their yard in Harwood, Missouri.  Every now and then, we would make the trip to Harwood for a visit and family picnic.  Old tin cans would be lined up on a fence and so we could practice target shooting.  We would scare the younger cousins in the outhouse.  And, we would take turns swinging.  

 

On one of our visits we took a trip to the nearby Schell-Osage Conservation Area.  As we sat on a ledge overlooking the land, Grandpa told us about the Indians, plants and birds of the area.  Maybe that's why I love native plants so much.  


Compass Plant is flowering in the fields by the red barn with the tire swing.  Native to much of the United States, Silphium laciniatum was used by the early travelers across the plains.  With the leaves and flowers generally on the north and south side of the stalk, it was easier to tell the direction they were traveling in.

 

Hanging out the car window taking pictures didn't seem the best way to capture this moment and memory.  Next thing you know, my car is pulled over to the side of the gravel road and I'm taking pictures and enjoying a slower pace.  




   

The Prairie Center

The Lenexa Field and Garden Club finally made its way to a field for one of our meetings!  

Fortunately, there was a break in the weather.  The skies cleared a bit during a very rainy week and we met Tuesday evening for a tour of The Prairie Center.  Located in Olathe, Kansas, the 300 acres of tallgrass prairie, riparian woodlands and wetlands are maintained by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. 

We learned about the family that originally farmed this property and even lived in the chicken coop for a while.  

 

We only hiked a portion of the six miles of trails making it to the original homestead and back.  Along the way, we learned about maintaining a tallgrass prairie and the challenge of fighting off the encroaching woodlands such as the Black Locust and Redbuds. 




Since it is early in the season, we saw only a few wildflowers along the way including Phlox and Spiderwort.  The seedheads of Illinois Bundleflower lined one of the paths.

The large leaves of May Apple were visible in a grassy area by the lake.

 

At the site of the original homestead, our guide pointed out rows of cedars.  Lining the drive to the house, the cedars made it easy to find the path to the house even in snowy weather.


The evening ended with the beautiful setting sun.  The garden club is planning to meet again this summer at The Prairie Center and we are looking forward to exploring more trails, enjoying the summer flowering native and naturalized plants, and seeing for ourselves how tall the native grasses grow.

Nebraska Field Day

The East Campus of the University of Nebraska was the site of the field day last Friday. We toured the Maxwell Arboretum with Tim McDonnell and Jeff Culbertson. Over fifty years ago, Earl G. Maxwell began planting many of the trees we learned about during our tour of the five acre arboretum. As we came around a corner, the view opened up to a majestic cottonwood. Its shadows stretched across the lawn.

Catalpa is just
one of the many flowering trees on the campus. Paw paw, magnolias, fringetrees, crabapples, dogwoods and
horsechestnuts are also included.

During the afternoon
break, I hurried from
the air conditioned
meeting room and went
for a quick walk.

On the walk I came across a large mass of sculpted steel. Around the base is Blue Gramma Grass. I love the contrast of the modern art sculpture with a native grass.

The highlight of the field day for me was Tim McDonnell's presentation on the Regreening of Greensburg. Tim McDonnell is the Community Forestry Coordinator for the Kansas Forest Service. I'll have a posting on it in the near future.

Across from Ranchito

If you have picked up topsoil, compost, river rock or mulch from KAT, you know that Ranchito is part of our growing operation and is located a couple of miles west of the holding yard. Across the street from Ranchito is a field I have driven past many times over the years. Friday was the first time I really paid attention to this property. The Rudbeckia, Monarda and Indian Grass with a backdrop of mature trees is beautiful.

Native plants work well in smaller landscapes too. Liatris has grass-like foliage and spike flower heads. It gives a nice vertical accent to the design. Callirhoe, also called Poppy Mallow and Wine Cups, is an attractive groundcover for tough sites.

Rattlesnake Master has foliage similar to the blades of yuccas and clusters of white flowers in the summer. The rosy pink flowers of Spotted Joe Pye Weed will open soon. Gateway Joe Pye Weed has pinkish purple flowers atop dark red stems. Golden Baby Goldenrod and Fireworks Goldenrod have bright yellow flowers in the summer. Asters flower late summer into fall.

We have many varieties of native plants on hand in #1 and #2 containers. If you are working with a large property requiring 100's - 1,000's of native plants in deep cell plugs and larger containers, give us a call. KAT Nurseries will custom grow the plants for your project.



Have you tried preserving native flowers and grasses? Here's an article with some tips:
Flowers and Plants for Drying