We've Moved

Crape Myrtle. My backyard, last summer. We're waiting to see how it does this year.

We have moved our blog to our main web site. You can continue to learn landscape tips and tricks at www.ryanlawn.com.

We have a few more adjustments to make in the next few days, including enabling RSS Subscriptions. Be sure to visit the week of June 28 as we celebrate our new blog design and Facebook page with a virtual open house, complete with daily door prizes.

Hope to see you soon!

P.S. My plants are LOVING all of the rain we have been getting.

Onions in the Garden

Tom's vegetable garden is doing well. We are really hoping to get some good-sized onions this year. So far, the plants look great:

We're crossing our fingers for tennis ball-sized onions this summer. (If all else fails, I suppose we can pop by the Farmer's Market.) There is nothing better than home-grown vegetables, don't you think?

Planting in Groups

Larry Ryan, forester and founder of Ryan Lawn & Tree is a big proponent of mimicking Mother Nature in our residential landscapes. One of his favorite ways to implement this, is by encouraging homeowners to plant trees in groups, just like you see them in natural forests. We recently removed a single Ash tree at our office and replaced it with a group of four evergreens:


As the trees grow and fill in the space, we will have a little piece of the forest right outside our office door.

What have you done to mimic Mother Nature in your landscape?

My June Landscape

I have a lot better luck planting in containers than I do planting directly into the soil. While I haven't given up on beautiful flower beds some time in the future, I have thoroughly enjoyed the pots around my house this year.

Here's a peak at what's growing at our house:

The clematis and the knock-out roses are my old standbys. The impatiens and begonias are new additions. The petunias are an annual staple: this year I opted for Super Petunias in place of my usual Wave. The pretty orange flowers grace the pot I planted at the flower swap.

Since I took these pictures, the cannas and caladiums have decided to show themselves.

What's going on in your landscape this week?

Garden Party

My good friend Anne recently hostessed a planting party at her house. She provided the dirt, and everyone attending brought full-sun flowers and a container to plant.

Everyone had a great time and left the party with several pretty pots to take home. Most gardeners brought medium-sized pots, so we had a surplus of flowers necessitating a quick run out for more containers.

Our growing season has barely started, so there's more than enough time for some of you to plan a flower swap of your own. (I recommend having each guest bring half a flat of flowers.)

Falling Sycamore Leaves

Yesterday, I came home to this:


A smattering of crinkly Sycamore leaves on my lawn. This happens every time we have a cool, wet spring. One of our foresters calls it "Wet Weather Disease." It's technical name is Sycamore Anthracnose.

Are you raking leaves in May, too?

Coming Home

The last blooms on my lilac.

I haven't enjoyed my landscape more than I have this year. My flowers are all doing well, the lawn looks great and my husband planted some Oakleaf Hydrangeas in the backyard.

I still have room in a few pots, and I am dying to get one of those Drift roses I wrote about in April, so I am heading to Suburban Lawn & Garden at 105th & Roe in Overland Park on Friday to get the last few things on my list AND support a worthy cause.

Friday, from 5-8 p.m., Suburban is donating 10% of every purchase to the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired.

Here are the official details if you would like to join me:

Get your yard ready for summer with CCVI!

Another Bloomin' Fundraiser

5 to 8 p.m.
Friday, May 28
Suburban Lawn & Garden
105 and Roe in Overland Park, Kansas

View and purchase new spring bedding plants, trees and shrubs for your yard and garden while enjoying live music, light hor d’oeuvres and beverages. Suburban Lawn & Garden will donate 10% of every purchase to CCVI.

For more information, contact Jennifer Anderson (816) 841-2284 x2016 or janderson@ccvi.org.

Hope to see you there!

Lawn Brown Spots

I mentioned earlier this week that all the rain may lead to lawn disease when the weather warms up. This weekend Kansas City is supposed to be a toasty 87 degrees. This means we may see a flare up in lawn disease. (Warm nights + moisture = a breeding ground for fungus.)

Brown Patch, the most common Fescue lawn disease, causes thin patches of light brown grass that are roughly circular in shape. Sometimes, the disease skips the circular phase and presents as large, thin, brown areas. To determine if disease is causing your brown spots, look at an individual leaf blade for lesions.

This, my friends, is what the lesions look like.
I know, because this came from the lawn of yours truly.

Ryan Lawn & Tree can take care of your lawn disease. Request a free estimate. (We can also prevent disease.)

Vegetable Garden

Victoria recently sent in photos of her first vegetable garden. She built raised beds and filled it with rich soil. Many plants were started indoors from seed.

Photo courtesy of Victoria.

I can't wait to see how the garden progresses! If you would like me to feature your lawn and garden projects, send the details to tarapatty at ryanlawn dot com.

Bermuda Lawns Slow Coming Out of Dormancy

Weather in the Kansas City Metro has been hard on Bermuda lawns. The cold, long winter led to more than normal winter kill, and the cool, wet spring is keeping them from greening up on time.

Winter kill occurs when large areas of grass die off during the winter due to low temperatures, too little precipitation, or excessive foot traffic. It is very common in Kansas City, because we are in the Transition Zone. (This simply means we are on the border of areas where warm-season grasses, like Bermuda, and cool-season grasses, like Fescue, thrive.)

Because temperatures have been milder than usual, and we have had more rainfall than normal, Bermuda lawns have also been slow to break dormancy. This means the grass is still brown, rather than the deep green we're used to seeing this time of year.

Rain and Your Lawn

Photo from Galyna Andrushko - Fotolia.com

We have been getting a ton of rain in the Kansas City Metro area recently. Initially, I was grateful to skip a day of watering my container plants; then I started to worry they were getting a little too wet.

Containers aside, what does all of this rain mean for our Fescue lawns?

Because the weather is cool and the rain has stopped for now, it may simply mean we get to enjoy our lush, green spring lawns free from drought or heat stress. However, yards with drainage problems or standing water can pose a threat. Waterlogged soil has less oxygen available for plant roots and may lead to wet wilt, a fairly rare condition.

Another possible complication concerns temperatures. If they heat up too soon, it will make our currently wet lawns more susceptible to fungal disease. These diseases can potential kill grass, especially in Fescue lawns planted in the last two years.

For now, though, I think we can safely enjoy the new life that the rain has brought forth. If conditions change, you know I'll keep you posted.

Sick Sycamore

Tom pruning our Sycamore last spring.

If you have a sycamore tree in your yard that is dropping its leaves, it may be suffering from anthracnose. This is an aesthetic disease, and won't affect the health of your tree. However, as a Sycamore owner, I know first-hand how annoying it is to clean up after these trees, especially when "fall" comes twice a year.

Ryan Lawn & Tree can treat Sycamores in August to lessen the affects of anthracnose in following years. The treatment is good for two years, although you may have some leaf and twig drop the first year.

Ryan Lawn & Tree featured in The Referral Engine

John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing, featured Ryan Lawn & Tree in his new book, The Referral Engine.

The book centers on the idea that small businesses can grow almost entirely by referral. The catch? Your company/product/service must BE referable.

Thanks, John, for including Ryan Lawn & Tree in your book!

Thick Lawns Prevent Weeds

Thick, healthy lawns have fewer weeds. Why is this? The density and health of the grass will out-compete weeds for water and vital nutrients.

To test this idea, find a thick healthy lawn and walk along the driveway and sidewalk. These areas, where the turf is ending and not as thick, may have a weed or two. Now, walk in the lawn - no weeds. Likewise, look at thinner, unfertilized lawns. You will find weeds all over. Compare this to the thick lawn.

Of course, it is possible the thick lawn owner has used something to kill the weeds. However, we all know how fast weeds pop up, so the likelihood that the thick lawn is only weed-free because of weed control is slim.

Do you have thoughts about this? Leave a comment below.

Purple, Spherical Flowers

I have long admired these Alliums in the boulevard of our home's association. What I did not know, was that these flowers are closely related to onions, and, as such, are referred to as "flowering onions." They come in many varieties and colors, and some are more star-shaped than spherical.

To grow them in your garden, plant the bulbs in the fall. I don't know about you, but I think these would be divine (and unique) in a bouquet.

Pretty Green Lawn

A RYAN customer in Gardner, KS, sent me this picture of his back lawn:

Can you tell where his lawn ends and his neighbor's begins?

Special thanks to Tyson for sharing this photo. I would love to show off your lawn, too. Send a picture to tara patty at ryan lawn dot com with your city, and a statement about why you love your lawn.

Trees and Power Lines At Odds

A local news story recently detailed the plight of homeowners in Lenexa whose trees are being removed or transplanted to accommodate overhead power lines. You can read the full article here Lenexa neighbors fight to save trees.

This brings up a common issue - trees and power lines don't mix. Local electric companies, largely for safety reasons, often prune or remove trees that interfere with their lines. At times, trees pruned to avoid coming into contact with power lines can look unsightly.

The best way to prevent these issues altogether is to avoid planting trees near power lines.

• Small trees, like crabapples and dogwoods, should be planted at least 20 feet from power lines.
• Medium trees, like American Holly and Lacebark Elm should be planted at least 35 feet from a power line.
• Large trees like red maples, Ginko, oaks and pines should be planted 45 feet from power lines.

Of course, if the tree is already planted too close to a line, this is not an option. In these cases, it is best to hire a professional tree company to prune the tree regularly to keep it from growing into the line. Arborists you hire will be more sensitive to the aesthetics of the tree than a company hired by the electric company.

Simple Container Planting

The other day, I was talking to a friend who wanted to plant some containers for her landscape, but didn't know where to start. I let her in on my secret:

1. Go to a nursery and find containers planted with a combination of plants you like.
2. Look at the plastic plant identifiers in the pot.
3. Buy those plants and plant them in a container.
4. (You can probably take a picture of the nursery's container if you are afraid you will forget.)

That's basically what I did with the container I planted above. It is on our front porch in full shade. I purposefully picked plants with varied colors and textures of foliage, but not a lot of blooms. (You can see one tiny purple bloom on the far right. There are three of these trailing plants in the pot that will flower.) Impatiens work well in the shade if you prefer to put more flowers in your pots.

Don't be intimidated because you think you lack creativity - nurseries, garden magazines and your local newspapers can all give you insight on how to put together a nice display.

"Neon" Grass in Your Lawn

Poa Annua (Annual Bluegrass) If you look closely, you can compare its color
to the darker grass in the background.

Two types of bluegrass, poa trivialis and poa annua (Annual Bluegrass) will appear in your lawn as neon green patches of grass in the spring. If you have a Fescue lawn, these grasses are generally regarded as weeds.

Annual Bluegrass is an annual. It will take away from the uniform color of your lawn in the spring, but will die during our hot summer. You can apply a preemergent in mid-August to prevent the grass from coming back next year.

Poa trivialis is a perennial. It is more "neon" than the annual version and tends to grow a little faster than the grass in your lawn. Because this grass is perennial, the only sure way to get rid of it is to kill out your lawn in July and reseed. Weigh your tolerance for the plant with the labor intensive project of reseeding to decide if this option is right for you.

*Poa annua and poa trivialis are very similar. The seeds on poa annua alternate, while the seeds on poa trivialis are directly opposite one another.

Tulips

Tulips won't be around for too much longer, but right now they are beautiful. One of my neighbors has a breathtaking bed of tulips every year (pictured). I love the mixture of colors.

A tip for those of you who are new to tulips: they are technically perennials, but the best blooms come the first year. For a spectacular showing, treat tulips as an annual and plant every year.

Volunteer Trees Are Stubborn

I went for a walk on Monday to enjoy the nice weather. I was thrilled to see several saucer magnolias in bloom, and several freshly mowed lawns. The rain last week has landscapes green and thriving.

Unfortunately, the rain also encourages the growth of volunteer or "weed" trees. When these pop up in the lawn, you can just mow over them. Eventually, they will stop springing back to life.

Volunteers next to your house, deck or fence line are a little more tricky. Sure, you can cut them down, but that is usually not enough to knock these plants back. Your best bet is to cut the tree as close to the ground as possible, then use a brush control product to keep the plant from reviving. (A little goes a long way.)

Eastern Red Cedars commonly come up as volunteers in our area. This one has been thriving in our side yard for a couple of years. As you can see, they grow fast!

Spring is Back...and so are Allergies.

My husband and I spent most of Friday night and Saturday outdoors. As Tom was planting his vegetables, I looked up and swirling in the wind were seeds, petals, pollen and other signs that Spring had arrived and was getting down to business.

The next morning, I walked out to my car and it was COVERED in yellow pollen. I am not sure which tree is the culprit, but I am amazed at the amount of pollen it produced.


Now, I know all you allergy sufferers out there are hurting. What do you do to alleviate your allergy symptoms? Leave a comment below or E-mail tara patty at ryan lawn dot com.

Apricot Drift

I was thumbing through a landscaping magazine today, and noticed this little gem:

Apricot Drift "Meimirrot" Photo from the Conard-Pyle Co.

Drift roses were introduced by Conard-Pyle, the same company that gave us Knock-Out roses. Drift roses are groundcover varieties with a mature size of 2 feet wide and 2 feet tall. "Meimirrot" (pictured) blooms continuously all season long and disease resistance is exceptional. (Low-maintenance roses. Does it get better than that? I certainly don't think so.)

Try these plants along pathways, hillsides or at the front of a border. They are Hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9.

Are you already envisioning these beauties in your landscape beds? I know I am.

Spring Thunderstorms Can Be Tough On Trees

We've had a few thunderstorms pass through the area lately. Most of these storms have been accompanied by lots of thunder, lightening, rain and high winds. When it comes to our trees, the high winds are the most damaging.

Thankfully, this branch didn't cause much damage when it fell.
Imagine if the tree had been closer to the house!

Pruning dead or broken limbs out of your trees as soon as you notice them can prevent damage during storms. (We have customers call frequently who have had limbs fall on their cars, houses, driveways and sidewalks.) Removing these limbs in advance of storms gives you control of when and where these limbs fall.

If you are at a loss when it comes to what pruning your trees need to help protect them from storm damage, give Ryan Lawn & Tree a call or visit Trees Are Good to find a certified arborist in your area.

Azalea Blooms

Five years ago, Tom transplanted an azalea from a property he was working on to our landscape. It just started blooming, and it is gorgeous.


I love how dainty this plant is - the ruffly blooms make it seem even more flirty. It is one of the first shrubs in our landscape to bloom - our yard is slowly coming to life for the growing season. The lilacs are starting to leaf out and the day lilies are starting to make an appearance as well. I may get adventurous this weekend and do some planting. (Usually I wait until after the 15th, but my gut is telling me the danger of frost has passed.)

Prevent Crabgrass Today

You can avoid this by applying a preemergent to your lawn this spring.

If you time in the next week or two to put down a preemergent, you will be able to radically reduce the crabgrass in your yard this growing season.

At RYAN, use a preemergent + fertilizer in the early spring to help lawns greenup and to prevent annual, grassy weeds like crabgrass and foxtail. Your local garden center will have a product to fill this bill, or, you can request a free estimate from RYAN.

If you have seeded any areas this spring, skip the preemergent in those places.

About Those Vegetables...

A friend of mine asked if Tom always starts his garden vegetables indoors - no. He usually sows them directly into the garden. I am not sure if he was overly-anxious to get started or just wanted to try something new. Either way, the plants are coming along nicely.

FINALLY, this week my hyacinths and daffodils bloomed. Yesterday was warm and sunny - euphoria set in.


Hyacinths smell heavenly, in case you didn't know.

Spot a Red Truck

If you see a red Ryan Lawn & Tree truck parked anywhere in the Kansas City Metro today, ask the driver if he still has his Sheridan's Frozen Custard $5 gift card. Spring took so long to get here, that we are taking today to celebrate warmer weather. Each RYAN Route Manager has one gift card to give to the first person who asks. Good Luck!

Berry Goodness

I am planning on planting some more strawberries under the Sycamore tree this year. I planted a few strawberries several years ago and they have lived through frost, snow and drought. I have never eaten a strawberry from my plants. I plant them mostly because my Mom always plants them in a big barrel planter, and when I look at them in bloom or with fruit hanging heavy, I think of my Mom.

What plants have you added to your landscape for sentimental reasons? Did you plant a tree to celebrate your first born, or have you transplanted some bulbs from a neighbor? I would love to hear your story. E-mail me at tarapatty at ryanlawn dot com or leave a comment below.

Veggie Tales

My husband started his vegetable garden indoors this year. It has been fun to watch tiny seeds planted a few weeks ago sprout and grow.

I can't wait to enjoy the fruits of his labor this summer. Fresh vegetables are something I can easily get behind.

Right Plant, Right Place

Flowers (annuals and perennials) can add the "wow" factor to your landscape. In the front yard, they can help your home feel friendly and warm, in the back yard, they provide a pretty and fragrant background for outdoor parties.

Follow these simple rules to make the biggest impression with your flowers:

1. Put a group of flowers by the front door.
2. Use large pots by the front steps or patio.
3. Cluster flowers instead of sprinkling them thinly across an area.
4. Choose flower colors that will compliment and enhance the color of your house.
5. Place flowers in the backyard where they can easily be seen from inside your house.

Brown Spots in Bermuda Lawns?

(This one is for those of you who prefer warm season grasses.)

Every spring, some Bermuda lawns (especially those planted with hybrid varieties) are dotted with brown areas. This is the result of Spring Dead Spot (SDS).

Young Bermuda lawns (less than 3 years) have some resistance to the condition, and these lawns are affected much less than older, established lawns.

Even though symptoms of SDS show up in the spring, the disease starts in the fall when cool, wet conditions are common. The brown spots are often the size of dinner plates, but will run together resulting in large, irregular dead areas.

What can you do?
It is difficult to control spring dead spot, although keeping thatch in check through regular aerations may aid in prevention.

Improper Planting Causes Girdling Roots

Yesterday, we discussed proper tree planting techniques. I also posed a question about this picture:

What is going on here? The answer is a Girdling Root. When trees are planted too deep, it is common for one root (or roots) to wrap around the trunk of the tree. As the root grows, it slowly girdles the tree, causing decline.

You may notice a girdling root because it causes leaves to drop from the tree at odd time. Girdling roots can also cause on side of the trunk to be flat, like in the picture below:

After big storms, have you seen giant trees that have simply fallen over? Many times this is because the fallen tree had been living with a girdling root.

What do you do if you think you have a tree with a girdling root? Call an ISA Certified Arborist. (We have almost 20 at Ryan Lawn & Tree.) Depending on the age and size of the tree, it may be possible to reverse the damage done by the offending root.

Spring is a Great Time to Plant Trees & Shrubs

Improper planting caused this common tree problem.
Do you know what it is? Read tomorrow for the answer.

As you would expect, spring is a wonderful time to add new trees and shrubs to your landscape. What you may not know, is improper planting is one of the biggest reasons urban trees fail.

If you are considering planting a tree, follow these steps to ensure improper planting does not cause you trouble down the road:

1. Choose a quality specimen from the nursery. The main root originating from the trunk should be no more than 1inch below the soil line. The root ball should be moist.
   
   
2. Measure the root ball height from ground to the first (top) root. This is the planting depth. Dig the hole 3 times the root ball width. This will loosen the soil for faster rooting. Leave the sides of the hole rough, not smooth.
   
   
3. Place the tree in the center of the planting hole and recheck planting depth. Adjust as needed. Make sure the tree is straight from 2-3 directions. Remove as much burlap, wire, twine as possible.
   
   
4. Stake newly planted trees only in areas where high winds are common. Remove any stake within 8-12 months.
   
   
5. Fertilize your trees after planting. If you have questions, contact an arborist at Ryan Lawn & Tree
   

Giving Turfgrass Extra Space

We've discussed aerating before, but it is the time of year for questions about aerating to start popping up.

Why Aerate?
In short, aerating opens up soil for better air and nutrient movement.

What is an Aeration?
During an aeration, a machine pulls cores from the lawn and deposits them on top of the soil. (These cores break down readily, so there is no reason to rake.)

Should you Aerate?
Lawns with heavy clay soil are especially susceptible to compaction and should be aerated on a regular schedule. Likewise, if you cut a square in the lawn at least 6 inches deep, and the roots of your grass only extend 1-2 inches, it is time to aerate.

When should you Aerate?
Bluegrass and Fescue lawns are aerated in the early spring or in the fall. Bermuda and Zoysia lawns are aerated from late May to July. (Basically, the best time to aerate is when the grass is actively growing.)

Dirt "Tunnels" in Your Lawn?

A Ryan Lawn & Tree turf manager points out vole damage in Kansas City.

We have gotten quite a few calls from homeowners in the area who have bare "tunnels" in their lawns.

Most likely, this is vole damage. Voles, closely related to field mice, cause more damage in winters where there is snow on the ground a lot of the time (we've discussed the snow that never seemed to end this year).

During these chilly, wet winters, the voles create meandering tunnels in the snow, on top of the lawn. Because it takes a lot of energy to build these snow tunnels, the voles run the same path over, and over, and over. As a result, they wear a path in the lawn and kill the grass.

Take a look around the hard surfaces in your landscape - next to a sidewalk or driveway. Voles will make their nest beneath these surfaces. If you want to rid yourself of these pests, stick a bait station under your driveway in the vole nest (if you can find it). (Be careful, these bait stations can be harmful to pets.)

If you have some bluegrass in your lawn, the bare areas should fill in this April or May. You can also seed this bare spots sometime in the next few weeks.

*The difference between mole and vole damage? Moles actually tunnel beneath the grass creating raised mounds. Voles travel on top of the grass, creating worn paths.

Growing as a Gardener

At the Garden Show, many displays featured different varieties of plants acting as a border for another variety. I am just not there in my gardening repertoire. I tend to plant single varieties in mass and throw in some odd experimentation throughout the landscape.

However, after seeing some of the great borders, I realize I have stunted my ability to create stunning displays around my home.

This arrangement clearly is more dramatic and interesting than just planting pansies in a monoculture.

My gardening goal for the next growing season: pair plants together to add more depth to my planting.

Puzzling

Why have I never planted crocus? They are SO pretty, and they are early bloomers. Who wouldn't want an early, purple reminder that spring is coming?

Crocus should be planted in the fall for blooming the following spring. These babies will start to grow during the first warm spell in late winter or spring. Their early blooms in white, yellow, blue(purple), and light orange flowers can even be forced indoors. These small plants grow just 3-4 inches tall.

Perfect for Hot Summers

I first encountered strawflowers in my Grandma's garden. You can tell right away that their texture is different than most flowers. She planted a pink variety, at the Garden Show, there were some dainty yellow strawflowers that just "popped" against the green foliage.

Even in this picture, you want to reach out and touch the petals to see how they feel. (They are dry and rigid - very inline with their name.) The best part about strawflowers? They thrive in long, hot summers and will bloom from late spring until fall. I don't always like yellow flowers, luckily you have several options with strawflowers including light and dark pink, bronze, purple and white in addition to a few yellow shades.

Treat strawflowers as an annual in our area. Once temperatures start to drop, they will start to struggle.

L.O.V.E.

I have thought about writing about Fuchsia before - it is soooo pretty and delicate. It reminds me of fairies and butterflies and the ethereal. I spied some at the Garden Show looking glorious:

Fuchsia are native to South America with fewer species indigenous to Central America and Mexico. They are also prolific in New Zealand to Tahiti (Tahiti - warm, sunny, home of Fuchsia!).

Technically, you can TRY to grow them in the Kansas City area. The transition zone is going to be difficult to reckon with, however. Plant them in containers on your patio and then be prepared to work. Fuchsias should be fertilized every two weeks and need adequate water (but not too much - be careful of root rot!). They are going to struggle when temperatures are above 80 degrees. And you need to take them inside for the winter.

There is no way at this point in my gardening life that I can keep up with this rigorous schedule. Maybe you all are a little more advanced? After all, someone out there wrote an article calling the care of this persnickety plant "Easy."

Any ideas for a similarly ethereal, fairy-plant that doesn't take quite so much maintenance? I am all ears.

A Taste of What's To Come

Last weekend, I ventured down to the Johnson County Home & Garden Show. While I was there, I passed by Family Tree Nursery's display. (It was breathtaking.) Luckily, Ryan Lawn & Tree had a booth across from the nursery, so we got to smell spring all weekend long.

Family Tree's display.

There is so much going on here - but it works. I mean, I think an actual landscape like this would be a nightmare for me - too much maintenance. I thoroughly enjoyed looking through all the nooks and crannies to see what delights were awaiting.

I'll leave you with a shot of our guys in action (and the promise of more spring shots the rest of the week):

Tom DePaepe, Mike McGillicuddy and Jason Trent.
(Mike and Jason are talking to a client, I just didn't get him in the shot.)

Questions, Comments, Tips?

As we get geared up for spring and lawn season, I wanted to remind you all that I welcome your questions, comments, tips and tricks regarding all things lawn, tree, gardening, etc.

I would love to hear some of your thoughts on these subjects. Moreover, I would LOVE to see pictures of what you are doing. Remember Rachel's backyard improvement project?

I think we can all benefit from hearing from the rest of the group (and seeing your triumphs!).

You may not believe me...

But, the time to activate your irrigation system is just around the corner. Seriously. I mean, there is STILL snow on the ground, but companies like Ryan Lawn & Tree typically start activating systems around the middle of March.

If you have an above-ground backflow, you will want to wait to activate your system in April, after the danger of a late freeze has passed.

Consider this the task that will drag spring out from its hiding place kicking and screaming. If we all plan on spring showing up soon, surely we can will it to happen, right?

'Tis the season for Snow Mold

With Gary Lezak ushering in 2010 with plenty of snow in the Kansas City area, we have been presented conditions for a disease called Gray Snow Mold on cool-season lawns. Typically, our winters are not as conducive for this disease, but this year seems to be an exception and we have received plenty of calls of concern. As areas of snow cover begin to melt, you may notice some tan, matted areas on your lawn, often times with an oily appearance. These spots are typically circular in shape and about 6-12" in diameter.

Fortunately, this disease is normally an aesthetic problem on mature stands of grass, however, immature seedlings may be killed, making reseeding necessary. To aid in recovery of mature stands, rake the affected areas and remove the debris. Occasionally seeding may be required here as well. I have attached a link from Penn State University with a slide show of pictures that you can reference, and an additional link from Purdue University with an in depth article about the disease if you would like to know more.

If you think you may have the disease and would like an additional opinion, please call your Ryan Pro today.

Josh Chabon
Turf Manager
Ryan Lawn and Tree

Bug Barrier

Today's post is a little different than normal. I usually like to focus on gardening and lawn care in a way that doesn't explicitly promote Ryan Lawn & Tree's services.

Today I want to share with you an AWESOME new service you can get from RYAN. The technical name is "Perimeter Pest Control," but that is a mouthful, so we'll just call it what it is: a Bug Barrier.

RYAN's Bug Barrier will drastically reduce the number of annoying insects in your home. By treating around the perimeter of your home, we can keep ants, millipedes, centipedes and to some degree, spiders, out of your house. (Bugs already in your house won't be affected.)

I am not very tolerant of bugs in my house (sorry, Grandma!). Needless to say, I am a BIG fan of this program. If you are intrigued, visit Ryan Lawn & Tree to request an estimate.

Spot of Spring

We are still dealing with snow on a semi-regular basis, however, I did have a bright spot of spring on Sunday when I ordered a flat of these:

Photo from Fowler's Nursery

Green leaf begonias with white flowers. If you read Friday's post, you will have some idea of my plants for these little jewels. I can't wait to dig in and experiment again this spring.

Caladiums, Part Two?

These gems are planted beneath my Sycamore tree. I love how the shade from the tree plays up the white in the leaves.

I swear I have blogged about caladiums before, but my handy search tool didn't return any results...so, below is my tribute to caladiums, one of my favorites (perhaps for the second time):

If you are looking for plants to spice up your shady areas, consider caladiums.

Caladiums are often called elephant ears and have large, variegated leaves. They come in several varieties offering a wide variety of colors and sizes. Plan to buy the corms in March to take advantage of a greater selection early in the season. (There's nothing worse than being stuck with the varieties no one else wanted, unless you happen to love those varieties - then maybe you can get them on sale.)

Caladiums should be planted some time in April, once temperatures are consistently warm and the danger of frost has passed.

Try pairing them in mass with white Begonias. The shade will help the white blooms "pop" and create a great compliment to the foliage.

Plant These Ornamental Grasses

A few weeks ago (okay, almost a month ago), I wrote about ornamental grasses in the winter landscape. Some of you wanted to know more about these plants. Today, I present you with some of my favorite ornamental grasses.

Feather Reed Grass, Photo from Colorado State University Extension

Feather Reed Grass
Feather Reed Grass grows in very vertical clumps. The plant blooms in June, and within a few weeks the seed heads turn golden. They retain this color throughout the rest of the growing season.

Carex, Photo from University of Illinois Extension

Carex
This lower growing ornamental grass (though not actually a grass, these plants are commonly grouped with ornamental grasses) looks great when planted in clumps in the shade or at the front of borders. Carex varieties will need ample water.

If you want to see more ornamental grasses in action, the K-State Research and Extension Center in Olathe, KS has several.