Most gardeners are aware that soil preparation is important in a new landscape with poor or

compacted soil, but when spring fever hits it’s easy to start planting as soon as the weather

warms up. Putting in the time to ready your soil makes a big impact, though, and will make a

difference in the long-term.

Many soils in built areas (around homes, businesses and roads) are compacted “dead” zones

that can make it tough for new plants to establish roots. Making the effort to build and heal your

soil now, before you plant, can prevent major plant loss later on.

This thornless currant grows naturally in low-lying moist woodlands. Its spring

blossoms are yellow-green and showy with a bell-like shape. The small flowers

are clustered together like dangling 1-3” long earrings, and are of special value to

native bees. The attractive maple-like leaves are food for caterpillars of the Green

Comma Butterfly. The fall color is a lovely red, which usually begins with coloring

of the veins and the leaf margin. The fruit that forms is a small dark purple

berry about a third of an inch in diameter. Black currants are very nutritious,

high in Vitamins A and C, and in potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. In the

landscape this easy-to-grow shrub does best in full sun and moist soil. Shrubs

may show signs of stress in dry, hot sites and become spindly in too much shade.

The selection ‘Riverview’ is a great choice, originally collected from naturally

occurring plants growing along the Big Sioux River in South Dakota.

You know that feeling. That glorious feeling of running your hands through the dirt. Feeling the

earth connect with your body. Nature and you. Happiness and peace of mind overtake you as

you shake off the cares and strife.

It’s not just connecting with nature gardening gives you. It is the feeling of pure creation.

Planting a living entity, aiding its birth, caring for it as it grows to maturity, watching it grow into

a thing of beauty. Creating a life force. Let’s not forget the sweat equity. Gardening is a way to

get your exercise the fun way. Your garden workout aids in creating endorphins, our “feel-good”

chemicals that assist in stress relief.

Hello everyone, I hope this newsletter finds you, your family and

any employees you may have, all safe and well. While COVID 19

has thrown us all a curve ball, I am confident that our industry is

more than capable of adapting and making changes as needed. In

time, we will all develop and settle into a ‘new normal’ that works

best for each of us.

The Nebraska Nursery and Landscape Association’s newest Nebraska Certified Nurseryman are Rebekah McGil,

Jason Orth, Sheila Schrader, and Eldora Weller. They took the NCN Certification test in February and passed

all three components. The NCN program was established to promote the professionalism of individuals within

the industry. A rigorous three-part test, which covers plan identification, landscape, and the NCN manual,

must be successfully completed. To learn more about becoming a Nebraska Certified Nurseryman, visit nnla.

org/certification.

OMAHA—Steve Rodie received the Educator Award from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum in Lincoln

Dec. 6. The award recognizes “educators who have made an outstanding contribution toward advancing

the knowledge and appreciation of plants among their students.”

Rodie is a Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Nebraska-Omaha where

he teaches courses in landscape plants, sustainable landscape design, landscape appreciation and

environmental sustainability, green infrastructure, and other environmental topics.

Community landscapes across Nebraska are getting a

financial boost from the Greener Towns program. Over

$79,000 is being distributed in 2020 to support 8 projects

in seven communities. “The economic impact is significant,”

said Rachel Anderson, coordinator of the program, “but the

way these projects bring people together to improve their

community may be even more important.”

The wahoo shrub grows naturally near streams and in the low woodlands of eastern Nebraska. In the

garden it is a great native substitute for the popular burning bush euonymus and is one of our most

shade-tolerant shrubs. In full sun, it becomes a dense, clumping shrub which, over time, can grow

into an attractive small tree. It’s easy to grow in rich, organic soils, but will tolerate a wide range of

soils unless they are wet and poorly-drained. In spring the tiny little purple flowers are often hidden

by the foliage, but they lead to showy, rosy-pink fruit capsules in fall. The fruit display continues after

the leaves drop, often into December. The dark green leaves turn reddis

The things we love we try to pass on. For many of us, and maybe especially for gardeners,

birdwatching is one of those interests. It’s easy and inexpensive to do, can be done almost

anywhere, gets you outdoors, helps you focus and can be inspiring and energizing.

If part of the goal with your landscape is to offer better habitat for wildlife, it’s best to have regionally

native species as the dominant elements. Besides their lengthy provision of food for all stages of wildlife

sustenance—from dried seeds and berries throughout the entire winter; to abundant summer foliage,

flowers and fruits; to early spring nectar sources for pollinators—trees and shrubs also offer the largest

and most varied shelter for wildlife.

The pawpaw grows naturally in the wooded slopes along the Missouri river in extreme

southeastern Nebraska. In the garden it is easily grown in average, medium to wet, welldrained soil in full sun to part shade. It will often spread by root suckers to form thickets,

so it’s best planted in confined areas where it can form an attractive colony of small trees.

Though pawpaws will grow in deep shade, they will be more open, slower-growing and have

less flowers and fruiting. Their cup-shaped, purple flowers emerge before the foliage in spring

and give way to edible banana-like fruits that mature in October. The fruits can be eaten raw

or used in the same way as bananas. The handsome leaves are up to 12” long and slightly drooping for an interesting, tropical look. In

late fall the leaves often turn a rich, buttery yellow.

GOTHENBURG— Nurseryman Jeff Kennedy of Kennedy Landscape Services in Gothenburg

received an award from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum at a reception in Lincoln Dec. 6.

The Jim Kluck Honor Award which he received recognizes individuals or organizations who

have contributed to statewide landscape efforts. It was given in honor of Kennedy’s efforts

as a nurseryman and at the Ehmen Park Arboretum.

CLARKSON—Bluebird Nursery, Inc. received an award from the Nebraska Statewide

Arboretum at a reception December 6 in Lincoln. The President’s Citation recognizes

outstanding contributions toward horticulture and impact both regionally and nationally.

I want to take this time to thank everyone that was able to make it

to this year’s conference. We had a very good turnout and I enjoyed

networking with old friends and meeting new ones too. If anyone

has any ideas on subject matter for next year’s conference, I would

gladly welcome you to send your ideas to the main office. We look

at and evaluate all suggestions to strive to make a better conference

for everyone. We had a very good line up of speakers this year and

I do hope to see everyone there next year. All of us on the board

values everyone’s busy work schedules so next year, we are looking

at moving the conference back a couple weeks to the first part of

December.

On November 7th over 100 attendees gathered for the 2019 NNLA Winter

Conference. The event took place at the DC Centre in Omaha, Nebraska.

The conference featured four sessions with

two concurrent sessions running during each

timeframe. One track highlighted a business

topic and the other a more industry-specific

topic. Business sessions included: generational

differences, automowers, culture change, and

building your brand. The other track included

sessions on: climate change, invasive plant issues

and prevention, and year-round tree identification.

A networking reception was held at the end of the

day to cap off the conference.

Lee Olson

Lee has been in the landscape and nursery industry for over 23 years and has served on the Nebraska Certified Nurseryman

Committee for over 12 years. He received the Nurseryman of the Year award in 2010 and has been an active member of

NNLA since the mid 90’s.

Horticulturist Lucinda Mays will present the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum’s Young Lecture Nov.

8 in Lincoln.

Mays has a long history of caring for landscapes. From hosting the Victory Garden television series

in the 1990s to facing High Plains challenges like fire, snowstorms and drought at Chadron State

College, her talk will focus on our reliance on plants for survival, beauty and connection.