This elegant native wildflower is appreciated for its strong upright growth

habit and stately spires of white flower spikes in summer. Its tight,

vertical habit makes it best used in the back of a perennial border or as a

specimen. The stems are packed with dark green leaves, neatly arranged

in whorls all along the stems. The white flower spikes contrast nicely with

the handsome, deep green foliage.

Wild geranium is one of the best native woodland wildflowers for

beauty in the garden. It emerges in spring with an attractive dense

mound of dissected, textured leaves. In mid-spring sturdy stems rise

just above the foliage, each topped with bright pink, saucer-shaped

flowers. The delicate pink flowers are a favorite of pollinating insects,

especially bees. It grows easily in average, well-drained soil in shady

locations, but also does well in full sun. It prefers moist, organic soils, and will happily seed around to form

colorful patches. It combines well with other spring-blooming perennials such as celandine poppy, woodland

phlox and bleeding heart or planted as a groundcover.

Wild geranium is one of the best native woodland wildflowers for

beauty in the garden. It emerges in spring with an attractive dense

mound of dissected, textured leaves. In mid-spring sturdy stems rise

just above the foliage, each topped with bright pink, saucer-shaped

flowers. The delicate pink flowers are a favorite of pollinating insects,

especially bees. It grows easily in average, well-drained soil in shady

locations, but also does well in full sun. It prefers moist, organic soils, and will happily seed around to form

colorful patches. It combines well with other spring-blooming perennials such as celandine poppy, woodland

phlox and bleeding heart or planted as a groundcover.

Last May, the Skylark/Cryer Neighborhood

Association broke ground on a new pollinator

garden at the entrance of their neighborhood

pool in Omaha. With plants from Moore’s

Nursery, a plan from the Nebraska Statewide

Arboretum and funding from a Mayor’s

Neighborhood Grant, volunteers planted over

one thousand trees, shrubs, grasses, sedges

and other perennials to benefit wild bees and

butterflies. And that was only Phase I.

I am very excited to have joined the staff at Advanced Association Management and

become your new Executive Director. I know I have much to learn and big shoes to fill.

I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Tiffany during the

transition.

Terri James was appointed to the NNLA Board of Directors in October 2018 as an Advisory

member.

Terri grew up on a small, family-owned farm just south of Lincoln. In 2003 she received a

bachelor’s degree in horticulture with an emphasis on design from University of Nebraska

Lincoln. She was then offered a position with the Nebraska State Fair Park in Lincoln as

the property’s horticulturist, where she managed the 200-acre property for the next five

years.

Many gardeners plant “everlastings,” flowers and herbs that maintain

their color and form when dried, specifically with the idea of using

them in craft projects. Included in wreaths or other displays, they

extend the beauty of summer’s bloom. There are many plants that

hold their shape and color well, from the deep yellow of yarrow to

the vibrant purples of statice and gomphrena.

Most everlastings can be dried simply by hanging them in a warm,

well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight for about three weeks.

Plants are dry when the stems snap easily.

On Thursday October 18th the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute

(ICPI) announced the new Hardscape North America (HNA) Award winners

in Louisville, KY during the HNA Awards Recognition Presentation.

Marti Neely, APLD of Marti Neely Design and Associates received an

Honorable Mention award for a lakeside project designed in Bennington,

NE that featured the use of porcelain pavers. This project was built by Craig

Tuttle Construction and the landscape

was installed by Jensen Gardens.

Some of the largest planted and managed landscapes in our communities are

cemeteries. Though they’re not used for recreation or other large—or even

small—public events, they’re historical, necessary and deeply valuable both

personally and community-wide. Even more, they have to continue into the

future and in some cases are already centuries old.

• They are extremely challenging to manage for a number of reasons:

• They are usually large and sprawling, ranging from several acres to hundreds

of acres in size.

• They rarely have good access to water/irrigation.

Hummingbirds and butterflies are some of our favorite and most

dramatic migrators, at least among those that visit our home

landscapes. While butterflies already have been active for several

months, late summer is their peak season.

Fall migration is when we’re most likely to see hummingbirds regularly

in our gardens. They pass through briefly on spring migration, and

can remain all summer if you’re along waterways or other favored

spots, but in fall they are in larger numbers and can stay and feed

from August into October.

LINCOLN - In an effort to slow the spread of the emerald ash borer

(EAB), the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA), is adding

three more counties to an existing quarantine on ash tree products.

Otoe, Lancaster and Saunders join the counties of Douglas, Sarpy,

Cass, Washington and Dodge, for a total of eight Nebraska counties

regulated under the Nebraska EAB Quarantine. The revisions to the

quarantine went into effect Nov. 1.

Another season is coming to a close. It seems

there is more to do than hours in the day to get it

done. Fall is in the air, but landscape work goes on.

As I write this the evening was especially nice. The

temperature was warm, the wind had died down

and with the setting sun, there was just enough

light to see the last birds of the day rummaging

through the leaves. Before long the sounds of the

owls, which I seldom hear, came alive, and despite

all the things that needed my attention, there was no where else I

wanted to be.

The Nebraska Nursery and Landscape

Association and the Nebraska Arborists

Association teamed up again to provide

the 2018 Eastern Summer Field Day on

August 10. The event took place at the

Great Plains Nursery in Weston. There

were over 150 attendees and exhibitor

representatives at the event who took

advantage of the learning and networking

opportunities.

I think the pandemonium of spring has subsided,

and the steady rhythm of summer has finally

arrived. I love the fast pace of May and June, but

frankly I am exhausted. I look forward to being

able to take a deep breath and spending a little

more time thinking instead of reacting.

Recently the opportunity to reconnect with a

client I had not seen for at least 7 years came

along. They contacted me as their garden had become an out of

control nightmare after being invaded by native Equisetum and a few

other uninvited visitors. They were hoping there would be a solution

to eradicating it and returning the beds to their former self. Upon

arriving and engaging in the normal social pleasantries and catching

up on what was new in our lives we stepped out into the gardens.