Recently, a small amount of container grown rhododendron nursery stock

potentially infected with Phytophthora ramorum, also known as Sudden Oak

Death or SOD, was shipped to Walmarts and a Builders Warehouse in Nebraska.

Inspectors with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) along with staff

from USDA Plant Protection and Quarantine, continue to follow up with these

locations to minimize the threat of infected nursery stock being distributed in

the state.

The NNLA continues to reach out to the next generation and encourage

them to consider a career in the diverse horticulture field. The association

once again hosted a booth during the Career

Fair on April 3 at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in

Lincoln during the Annual FFA Convention.

Brian Munk and Jennifer Eurek were on

hand to visit with the students.

If you want to learn how to garden, plants are the best teachers and

the best way to start is to just go ahead and plant. Choose your space

carefully, you will want to plant it where you will visit often and where

you will enjoy working. Observation throughout the year is a good way to

really understand plants and what they need.

Trees are almost universally appreciated by people across the globe. Although we don’t always treat them

well, there just seems to be something about them that we find interesting and comforting. That’s at least

partly because of the incredible range of shapes, forms and colors they come in and also because of the many

benefits they provide.

A very smart person once said that a deeper understanding about trees is a deeper understanding about the

universe. Okay, that was me, but I stand by it. Anyhow, here are just a few fun and fascinating facts about trees

you can use to impress your friends and family members.

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.