Finding a stash of magnolias at the nursery

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Through the plastic covering the hoop houses at Loma Vista Nursery's Ottawa growing operation, I could see these beautiful flowers.  Inside the hoop house, the fragrance was wonderful.  Though I had to get past a crop of Alleghany Viburnums to get close enough for a photo, it was well worth the effort.  Quite often, Leonard Messel Magnolia is grown as a multi-stem tree that matures 15-25' tall and wide.  

Quite visible around town, are the Royal Star Magnolias. The flowers are opening up thanks to the warm weather we have had this week.  Upright oval in form, Royal Star matures 15' by 12'. 

Centennial Magnolias have blush pink flower buds that open up a very pale pnk.  Centennial matures 15-20' by 10-15'. 

As with the Leonard Messel Magnolias, Royal Star and Centennial are also fragrant.  All are great additions to the landscape as a spring time accent. 

Autumn Flowering Cherry

It is such a beautiful day today at the nursery.  We have been swamped with customers and calls and everyone is in a hurry.  Perhaps, it is because the weather forecast hints of cold weather next week.  

While out tagging trees for an order shipping tomorrow, I saw this wonderful Autumn Flowering Cherry.  The clusters of blush pink flowers look so beautiful against the blue sky.

Autumn Flowering Higan Cherry, Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis', actually flowers heavily in the spring with an occasional lighter flowering during a warm period in the fall.  The green summer leaves were orange and bronze earlier this fall.  It is a fast growing tree that will mature 30 x 30'. 

A Labor of Love

If you have driven down Kasold Street in Lawrence, you have no doubt noticed a beautiful landscape. Years ago, when Kasold was a two lane gravel road, the home-
owners moved in. Over the years, with more develop-
ment in Lawrence, the road was paved, widened and is now a divided road. The expansion of the street brought it and the utilities closer to the residence.

The need to block the view of the road and the sound of traffic has been met with several berms and plantings. The homeowners' son has been working on this project for many years. This labor of love has required truckloads of topsoil and equipment for shaping the berms. Large moss boulders were added. And, the plants started arriving.

There are many layers to this landscape. The overhead power lines necessitate smaller maturing trees such Pink Princess Crabapple, Bonfire Patio Peach, Vernal Witchhazel, Golden Spirit Smoketree and Tiger Eyes Sumac. Columnar oaks and beech are also included.

For color and structure year round, low growing junipers and arborvitae have been included in the landscape. Ornamental grasses are planted throughout. A grouping of Gold Bar Miscanthus is the most recent addition.

Flowering plants include the ornamental trees, Caryopteris, Spirea, Autumn Joy Sedum, Tomato Soup, Rocky Top and Harvest Moon Echinaceas, Russian Sage, Walker's Low Catmint, Lavender and Rozanne Geraniums.

Closer to the residence is a grouping of multi-stem Quaking Aspens. Japanese Painted Fern and Caramel Coral Bells are planted around the base of the trunks.

The gardens are lovely year round.

Japanese Maples - some of the red ones

Yes, it's time for the Japanese Maples with red foliage. I featured the green ones first in hopes that their subtle beauty might be realized with the summer foliage and fall color. But, so many more clamor for Japanese Maples with red foliage...

Tamukeyama is a lovely laceleaf maple with a weeping form that matures 6 x 8'. The laceleaf maples do best with some shade protection from Kansas City's hot afternoons.

Inaba Shidare
matures 6 x 6'.

Red Dragon also
matures 6 x 6'.

Crimson Queen
matures 8 x 10'.

The palmatums have an upright form and larger foliage. Palmatums do fine in sun or shade in Kansas City.

Bloodgood is the
most familiar one.
It matures 18 x 15'.

Shojo matures
20 x 20'.

Japanese Maples - a few of the green ones

Autumn Moon Japanese Maple's
foliage emerges chartreuse
in the spring. In the fall the
foliage turns orange and red.
It has an upright form, maturing
8-12' tall.

Full Moon Maple has large leaves
that turn orange and red in the
fall. It has an upright form.

Lion's Head has a narrow upright form.
The crinkled foliage is dark green - it has great texture.
The late season fall color is yellow, orange-red.

Viridis is a laceleaf maple
with a weeping form. It is
a smaller maturing maple,
6x8', with wonderful fall color.

Sango Kaku is a coral bark
maple. The red branches brighten
up the winter landscape.
Sango Kaku has an upright form
with colorful foliage.

Here's a series of articles on a Japanese garden:
Creating a Japanese Garden - An interior designer takes her inspiration outdoors
Plants for a Japanese Garden - A trip to the nursery to find the plants
Installing a Japanese Garden - Fine tuning the design on a very hot day

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.

These flowers take the heat

The Mimosas have started flowering. This ornamental tree is available both single and multi-stem. The fragrant flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. E.H. Wilson Mimosa, Albizia julibrissin 'E.H. Wilson', is cold hardy and drought tolerant once established. Available 8/10' multi-stem b&b and 1.5-2" single stem in containers.



Gemo Hypericum's bright yellow flowers sway back and forth in the wind and will continue blooming through the summer. Hypericum kalmianum 'Gemo'
matures 2-3' x 2-3' and has narrow medium green foliage. Available in #3 containers.





Mariesii Balloon Flower's, Platycodon grandiflorus 'Mariesii', blue flowers are just lovely. Though it may appear delicate, Balloon Flower is a tough plant. It tolerates a wide range of conditions including salt, moisture, drought, full sun, part shade. A good choice for cut flower gardens (Mariesii matures 15" x 15") and alpine gardens. Also available at KAT are Astra, Sentimental Blue and Fuji Blue Balloon Flowers - all in #1 containers.

A few of my favorite trees

The Aesculus carnea brioti, Red Horsechestnut, is loaded with flowers in the hummingbird/butterfly garden behind my house. The red flowers have yellow throats. Afternoon shade provided by neighboring trees protects the foliage from scorch in the summer. This garden area is built on an old compost pile. It also has a Butterflies Magnolia, Summer Wine Ninebark, Bearded Iris, Little Henry Sweetspire, Limelight Hydrangea, Mahonia, and Columbine. Like all my gardens, it only receives water when it rains or snows and very little care. Red Horsechestnut is a favorite is because it is a tough tree that has beautiful flowers and great foliage.

There is a lot to like with Acer truncatum, Shantung Maple - smaller mature size, foliage and bark. A multi-stem one is planted in a garden where I wanted to screen a driveway and street but had limited space. The attractive foliage matures to dark green in the summer and then has yellow fall color. The color and texture of the bark gives it year round interest.

Of course, in my family, a garden isn't complete without a Cercis canadensis, Eastern Redbud. Ours is about 25 years old and the kids, including the neighborhood ones, love to climb it. While I do love this tree, if I ever plant another Redbud, it will probably be an Oklahoma Redbud. It has deeper flower color plus glossy green foliage in the summer.

All of these are available at KAT Nurseries. I hope you will come out and visit and tell us about a few of your favorite trees.

Acres and acres at KAT

At KAT Nurseries, I'm finding there are many acres to wander and many plants to discover. I took the time Friday to see what was flowering and fell in love with the Coralburst Crabapple. It is just one of the many patio size ornamental trees in stock.


One of the hoop houses is filled with shade loving perennials; we have over 55 hostas to choose from including Fried Bananas.



A shipment of dogwoods arrived during the week, both pink and white flowering. The trees were still tied up and the sprinklers running when I took this picture.

Weeping Pussy Willow

On a cloudy dreary day last week, the catkins of the weeping pussy willows glowed like light bulbs. Like a child, I worked my way into the middle of the weeping branches by the trunk and looked out. Here's one of my pictures. I love the view.