“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” William Shakespeare

It is clear that the world is a crazy place right now, and it often feels like every day brings

another level of folly beyond our control. Although keeping up with the news is important,

it’s also important to give ourselves time to step away to find things more within our

control, things that calm our frayed nerves and bring us perspective, joy and gratitude. My

suggestion? Step outside.

Outside we can find nature reliably going about its business, whether in the deep

wilderness or our own backyards. It doesn’t give a darn about the news, but instead just

keeps moving forward in its wonderfully complex way, always offering us beauty, wonder

and peace

Bitternut hickory is native to eastern Nebraska and commonly

found in oak woodland bluffs along the Missouri River,

extending west to Lancaster County and north to Thurston, CO.

It is commonly found in low, wet areas, but can also grow in

dry upland sites. It is a durable, long-lived shade tree, with an

oval to rounded crown. The compound

This showy aster blooms in a cloud of thousands of tiny, star-shaped, pale pink flowers, concentrated

mainly on one side of the spreading branches. With a profusion of nectar-rich flowers, this aster is king

as a top notch native for pollinating insects. Each little flower has a ring of pale pink petals, surrounding

a central cluster of tiny tubular flowers. It gets its common name from these multi-colored, rosy-red

central disks. T

This viburnum native to the Midwest has large, flat-topped white flower clusters in spring; dark berry-like fruits

that can persist into winter; and the leaves turn a beautiful red or purple in fall. The berries can be eaten fresh

or made into jams and attract birds and wildlife as well. It’s very adaptable to different soils, can take full sun or

quite a bit of shade and can create a dense shrubby thicket or be pruned into a small tree. Viburnums are one

of the best shrubs for hardiness and full-year interest, both for humans and the wild creatures that rely on our

landscapes for food and shelter.

Hello everyone, it sure seems like this summer has flown by.

This has certainly been a year for changes and adjustments,

yet despite everything, it seems to have been a great year

in the nursery and landscape industry. As we move into

the holiday season, I certainly hope we can begin making

positive changes and adjustments for all of our industry,

small businesses and citizens across the state and country.

The Nebraska Nursery and Landscape Association

held the 2020 Fall Field Day virtually this year in

mid-October.

The week of October 5th, NNLA shared three

videos providing virtual tours of behind the scenes

operations of Vala’s Pumpkin Patch and Apple

Orchard.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) recently confirmed that emerald ash borer

(EAB) had been found infesting ash trees in Hall County, Nebraska. EAB was first found in

Nebraska in June 2016, in Douglas county, and most recently was discovered in Buffalo and

Washington counties.

Due to the confirmations of EAB i

Nebraska has numerous counties infested with Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica). As

this pest becomes more common across the state, the prevalence of Japanese beetle has

implications for nurseries that ship out of state.

NDA continues to monitor for the presence of Japanese beetle in our state. Based on

trapping surveys, nearly half of Nebraska counties are considered infested as of 2020.

Bulbs are a balm to the frozen soul after a long Nebraska winter. Those first snowdrops and crocus peeking

through last year’s old leaves—or through the snow—can’t help but put a smile on your face and allow an

exhalation of breath: we made it. Cool, fleshy, green-growing leaves coming out of the drab March soil…

bulbs would be wonderful even if they didn’t bloom. And what a variety. There’s a wide array of colors,

shapes, sizes, forms and bloom times—from a dainty, early squill (Scilla bifolia) to a bold red ‘Kingsblood’

Late Flowering Tulip. Bulbs can range in height from 2-30 inches and give you bloom from February to late

May. You can plant straight species or any of the hundreds of named cultivars.

It’s fall. Some of us are tired of weeding, watering, managing. The growth we impatiently

waited for in spring has by now gone rampant. As one gardener put it, “the autumn garden

is a machete garden.”

The opportunity to reimagine a large homesite does not come along very often. When it does and

with it a long-term relationship built upon trust it really is an opportunity to treasure.

Morgan Ridge is located on the crest of a hill, centered in the property, almost eleven acres in size.

With significant slopes on both the front and back it was afforded lovely views of the sunrise and

sunset, but not as much usable space as you would think. With a tightly fenced pool landscaped

with river rock, fewer plants than would be pleasing and an awkwardly designed patio space, it

was not anything my clients wanted to keep. When in this entertaining area one had no idea of the

wonderful expanse of nature outside the fenced boundary as those views were blocked.

Fall is the perfect time to scout for Spotted Lanternfly (SLF). This exotic invasive insect has not been

found in Nebraska. But the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) encourages everyone to keep

an eye out for this pest.

In the fall, adults will aggregate on tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima). So an easy way to scout for

this pest is to check the trunks of tree-of-heaven for these large, colorful insects.

This showy native wildflower grows naturally in some tough conditions—upland sandy prairies, open rocky

woodlands and roadside embankments. To be successful in the garden, it is best to try to imitate the brutal

natural habitat where this milkweed grows. It is a long-lived, trouble-free perennial when planted in dry, welldrained soils on sunny slopes or at the top of a retaining wall. It loves the heat, so it’s slow to emerge in spring.

The lance-shaped, shiny leaves are crowded along upright stems, growing into a mound of bright green foliage by

early summer. In summer, bright orange flower clusters top the plant, made up of many small star-shaped florets.

The showy flowers attract a variety of butterflies, moths and bees. In fall, narrow, gray-green seed pods develop,

covered in silky hairs. The pods eventually split open to release the brown seeds, each with silken parachutes to

drift away in the wind.

Several new finds of emerald ash borer

(EAB) have already been made this summer,

resulting in three new Nebraska counties

being confirmed for EAB infestations. In June,

EAB-infested trees were found in Kearney

(Buffalo County). Staff with the City of

Kearney Parks Department noticed declining

ash trees and reported those concerns to the

Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA). A

site visit confirmed D-shaped exit holes and

serpentine galleries present on the trees,

and adult EAB specimens were collected and

ultimately confirmed by the U.S. Department

of Agriculture identifier as EAB.