Flower Market and Organic Farmer's Market in Leawood

Photo courtesy of Ian Britton.

A new mixed use development in Leawood, features a Flower Market on Thursdays from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. In addition to the flower market, the event includes story time and gardening classes for little ones.

Because the flower market is outdoors, September 24 will be the last date in 2009. If you make it out in the next two weeks, let me know. I am anxious to visit, but I'm not sure if I will make it this year with my work schedule.

If you enjoy farmer's markets, you should check out Park Place on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. They have a KC Organics Farmer's market featuring organic vegetables, baked goods, bread, honey, fair trade coffee, etc. This event just started August 5 and will run through October 14. I will sneak down there for a preview and let you know what I find.

Visit www.kcorganics.com for more information about the organization.

P.S. Be sure to visit the Paciugo Gelato when you are finished browsing. I was there last weekend and it was delicious!

Evergreens Losing Needles

As time marches on and 2009 comes to a close, you may notice some suspicious activity on your evergreens. The inner needles will yellow and fall off. This is...wait for it...normal.

It is sometimes referred to as "3-year needle drop" implying that the 3-year-old needles are the ones yellowing and dropping off. This is a misnomer, as it is just as common for trees to lose their two-year-old or even four or five-year-old needles, depending on the species.

Bottom line: Unless the needles at the tip of the branches are yellowing or browning, it is highly likely that your tree is just doing it's thing, and there is not cause for concern.

Lawn Diagnosis: Tree Removal

The bare spot above is from a residential lawn. It is a large, circular patch. What is the cause?

In this case, the homeowner had a large tree removed and then had the stump ground. Unfortunately, the stump was not ground deep enough, so when grass was planted over top, it didn't have enough soil to thrive.

How could you diagnose this problem in your own yard (especially if you bought the house after the tree and stump were removed)? Dig down a little and see what you find. Is it good soil, or fibrous organic matter? Sometimes, you may even find that the stump is just a few inches below the soil, preventing the grass from rooting well.

Anytime you have an unexplained bare spot, dig around and see what you find. This will help you determine what to do to get the grass growing again.

Mushrooms on Your Tree?

If you have mushrooms coming out the side of your tree, it is a sign of decay. (These "mushrooms" are actually called shelf fungus.) Trees with decay are hazardous--an emergency waiting to happen.

What does this mean for your tree? You need to have it evaluated by a professional arborist. There is a good chance it will need to be removed. The International Society of Arboriculture has a certification program that can help narrow your search for a qualified tree professional. You can search for an ISA Certified Arborist here.

Tree removals can be expensive. However, the cost isn't going to go down much if the tree fails and falls on your house. (We can all recall a time after a bad storm when we have seen huge trees completely uprooted--it happens.)

Take care of your home by looking over your trees and looking for signs of decline. And if you have a picture of weird things going on with your tree, send them my way: tarapatty at ryanlawn dot com

Is it Fall?

This maple probably won't live many more years. Notice the early leaf drop and yellow leaves.

It is officially September and the weather is cooling off. To top it all off, football games have commenced. These events likely leave many of us thinking Fall is here.

Not so fast. It is still too early for healthy trees to begin turning. If you have driven past a tree full of yellowish leaves and taken it as a harbinger of the season, you are mistaken. If you have trees in your lawn that are already starting to turn, give them a closer look. They may be suffering from disease or insect problems, or they may simply be getting old.

Early leaf drop/turn is a sign of a tree in decline.

Summer Squash

Today we picked the last yellow squash out of our garden. To celebrate, I made a squash quiche using a recipe from Southern Living. It was delicious!

If we decide to make this dish again next summer, I am thinking about sealing the crust with cream cheese instead of mustard. Tom thinks adding sausage would be good as well.

If you have yellow squash or zucchini, give this dish a try!

Italian Squash Pie:

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) can refrigerated crescent rolls
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 1/2 pounds yellow squash (about 4 cups), thinly sliced*
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
• Garnishes: fresh oregano sprigs, sliced yellow squash

Preparation

Unroll crescent rolls; press dough on bottom and up sides of a 10-inch tart pan, pressing to seal perforations.

Bake at 375° for 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Gently press crust down with a wooden spoon. Spread crust with mustard, and set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add squash, onion, and garlic; sauté 7 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and next 5 ingredients.

Whisk together eggs and milk in a large bowl; stir in cheese and vegetable mixture. Pour over crust.

Bake at 375° for 20 to 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Garnish, if desired.

*1 1/2 pounds zucchini may be substituted for yellow squash.

Southern Living, AUGUST 2002

Borer Emerges

If you have been following us for awhile, then you read Heather's previous posts (here and here) about the locust borer we found in the larval stage.

Last week, the mature borer emerged. One of our arborists took a picture for me. (I am NOT a big fan of insects.)

It was fun to watch the borer transition from being a tiny white "worm" to what you see above.