Lawn and Garden

As temperatures outside rise and thunderstorms move through watering the earth below, our thoughts turn to home-grown vegetables, well manicured lawns and flowerbeds bursting with color.

Below are links to information primarily supplied by Kansas State University Research and Extension to assist you in greening up your yard and lives:

Kansas Healthy Yards and Communities
http://www.kansasgreenyards.org/DesktopDefault.aspx
(A program designed to educate the public on environmentally friendly lawn and garden care techniques)

KSU Horticulture Information Center
http://www.hfrr.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=583

Kansas Master Gardeners
http://www.hfrr.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=422
("Master Gardeners are a vital part of K-State Research and Extension. Donating time in return for horticultural training, Master Gardeners help our county agents meet the need for horticultural information in their communities." Check this site out and find out how you can volunteer your expertise to help others)

Plants Recommended for Kansas
http://www.hfrr.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=731
(Find out which flowers, grasses, shrubs and trees grow best in the Sunflower State)

Kansas Garden Guide
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/hort2/s51.pdf
("A well-planned and properly tended garden can provide food for a family throughout the year." Includes information on planning a garden, composting, soil improvement, seeding, watering, pest control and a list of plant choices. From Kansas State University Research and Extension)

Horticulture Newsletter
http://www.hfrr.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=764
(Online newsletter covering many garden/lawn topics. You can subscribe to the newsletter free via email)

Lawn & Garden
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=24
(A web page with links to information resources for gardeners and lawn care. From Research and Extension at Kansas State Unversity)

Turfgrass Information Blog
http://blogs.ksre.ksu.edu/ksuturf/
(Grass 2.0!!!... a blog about Kansas turf grasses and lawn care. Provided by K-State Research and Extension)

Kansas State University Research & Extension Publications and Videos
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=16
(KSU's Research & Extension is a treasure trove of information and resources for gardening and lawn care)

Kansas Wildflowers & Grasses
http://www.kswildflower.org/
(Some like it wild! Check out thousands of photos and descriptions for some 639 species of forbs, grasses, sedges, rushes, and woody plants found growing in Kansas)

Growing Sunflowers
http://wwz.mncost.org/projects/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h118sunflowers.html
(What webliography would be complete without at least one link to a page explaining how to raise sunflowers! From University of Minnesota Extension Service)

Kansas Planting/Growing Zones
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/planting-zones/kansas-planting-zones.htm

First Fall Freeze and Final Spring Freeze Maps & Precipitation Maps
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/wdl/Maps/Climatic/AnnualFreezeMap.htm
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/wdl/AnnualPrecipMaps.asp
(From Kansas State University Weather Data Library)

HERBS

Michelle Obama's Garden
http://www.michellesgarden.net/
("... a website that highlights Michelle Obama's efforts on the White house Kitchen Garden. [Includes a lot of information on organic gardening.] The site includes links to blogs, news, images, video, and the White house Garden Layout itself.")

Video on Michelle Obama's Herb Garden
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/michelle-obama-gardens-47022002
(A video where First Lady Michelle Obama tours her organic vegetable garden and discusses her goal of educating young children about healthy eating)

Growing Herbs: Selected Information Sources, 1996-2005
http://www.nal.usda.gov/ref/herbs.html
(Dated, but most all the links still work! From U.S. Dept. of Agriculture)

Publications on Herbs Available Through K-State Research and Extension
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/Search.aspx?qherbs&sitesearch=www.ksre.ksu.edu/library

CONTAINER GARDENING

Publications on Container Gardening Available Through K-State Research and Extension
http://tiny.cc/d2e7c

Article contact: Bill Sowers
(Check out recent additions to our collection here

Bluegrass: it's not just a type of music anymore

Little Bluestem grass that is (Schizachyrium scoparium). The Governor signed House Bill 2649 this week designating the Little Bluestem as the official Kansas state grass. The bill was sponsored by Representatives Kay Wolf and Sharon Schwartz. It is also the state grass of our neighbor, Nebraska.


Read "Little Blue's Story" at:
http://www.kansasnativeplantsociety.org/littleblue/story.htm


Read basic facts about Little Bluestem:
http://www.kansasnativeplantsociety.org/littleblue/facts.htm and
http://www.kswildflower.org/grass_details.php?grassID=34


Little Bluestem joins our other state symbols which can be found at:

The Kansas Department of Travel and Tourism:
http://www.travelks.com/resources/PDF/183-Kansas%20At%20a%20Glance_web%20ready.pdf

The State Library of Kansas:
http://www.kslib.info/symbols.html

Learn more about the Kansas prairie and grasslands:
Cimmaron National Grassland:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/cim/

Institute for Grassland studies:
http://www.k-state.edu/grasslandstudies/

Kansas Heritage's resources on the prairie:
http://www.kansasheritage.org/prairie/

Learn how you can help preserve our native grasslands:
Natural Resources Conservation Service:
http://www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/grp/2010/index.html

Kansas State University's Extension:
http://www.agronomy.ksu.edu/extension/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=25

Plant this hardy and drought-resistant native species in your landscaping this spring!

Article contact: Kim Harp

The Flint Hills

The Flint Hills in central Kansas are an amazing sight no matter the time of year. It preserves our ranch heritage and tall grass prairies. Learn more about this valuable Kansas resource at the following links.

NEW! National Tallgrass Preserve literature
http://www.nps.gov/tapr/upload/rackCard2.pdf

Tallgrass Prairie Maps
http://www.kansasenergy.org/KEC/FHmaps.html
(Kansas Energy Information Network)

Travel in the Flint Hills
http://kansasflinthills.travel/

Flint Hills as featured in National Geographic:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/04/tallgrass-prairie/klinkenborg-text

Flint Hills as a geologic region
http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Extension/flinthills/flinthills.html and
http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/field/flint/flint.htm

Flint Hills National Scenic Byway:
http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2095/ andhttp://www.ksbyways.org/Pages/Flint/flint1.html

Symphony in the Flint Hills
http://www.symphonyintheflinthills.org/

Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge
http://www.fws.gov/flinthills/

Kaw Mission State Historic Site
http://www.kshs.org/places/kawmission/

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
http://www.nps.gov/archive/tapr/home.htm