Jerry Lovell NP Dodge / Jansen Team

10/11/2024

Relevant information from Midwest Natives Nursery once again as we head into fall.......

As the last of the Autumn flowers begin to fade and with the first few nights of near-frost temperatures looking very likely for most of the area as we head into early next week, you may be tempted to spend the upcoming warm weekend doing some Fall clean-up amongst your perennial gardens. While a little pruning of taller plants for aesthetic purposes is okay, we urge you to let as many dry leaves and flowers fall to the ground and as many dead stems stand intact over the Winter as possible.

Spent plant material is essential in providing native insects and wildlife food and shelter during the cold Winter months. Leaves and flowers left on the ground create a layer of warmth and safety that many species will hibernate within, seeds are a vital food source for overwintering birds and small mammals, and this year’s dried stems will play a major role next Spring and Summer when solitary bees utilize them for laying their eggs and raising the next generation of pollinators. And if you followed this protocol last year, there are likely insects preparing to hibernate inside those respective stems right now!

Leaving these materials will not inhibit future plant growth and actually helps to better protect your investment from harsh conditions during the Winter while providing lasting benefits and improving long-term health. Dead stalks left whole this Fall prevent water from tricking down into a plant’s root crown which can freeze and damage it, reducing resiliency and compromising it’s lifespan or survival. Over the Winter, fallen leaves work to store moisture and retain heat, keeping your plants’ roots insulated and guarded against extreme cold temperatures. In the Spring, native plants have no trouble growing up through this layer which will quickly break down over the Summer, returning many valuable nutrients to your soil. And lastly, the old canes will act as natural support for rapid new Spring growth, helping to reduce flopping and lessen the need for heavy pruning or extra maintenance throughout the next growing season.

Remember, feeding insects all Summer is moot if we take away their habitat in the Winter, so please make it a point to !

07/28/2024

Tip #1 is something all homeowners should consider.....

Knowing how to budget for home maintenance is an important part of homeownership. These tips can help show you how to save for home maintenance costs and repairs.

03/20/2024

A little light reading regarding recent real estate happenings......

You’ve probably heard the news that there are changes coming in terms of how real estate commissions are paid. This might sound exciting and like a potential game-changer for you as a home seller or buyer, with headlines proclaiming things like: “Real estate commissions are being slashed!” “...

10/20/2023

My annual reminder to leave your wildflower garden alone this fall.....

With the first true hard freeze for most of the area looking very likely toward the end of next week, you may be tempted to spend the upcoming warm weekend doing some Fall clean-up among your perennials. While a little pruning of taller plants for aesthetic purposes is okay, we urge you to let as many dry leaves and flowers fall to the ground and as many dead stems stand over the Winter as possible.

Spent plant material is essential in providing native insects and wildlife food and shelter during the cold Winter months. Leaves and flowers left on the ground create a layer of warmth and safety that many species will hibernate amongst, seeds are a vital food source for overwintering birds and small mammals, and the dead stems will play a major role in the Spring when solitary bees utilize them for laying their eggs and raising the next generation of pollinators.

Leaving these materials will not inhibit plant growth next Spring and actually helps to better protect your investment from harsh conditions during the Winter. Keeping dead stems intact this Fall prevents water from trickling down into the plant’s root zone which can freeze and damage it, negatively affecting its long-term survival. Over the Winter, fallen leaves work to keep your plants’ roots insulated and protected against extreme cold temperatures. In the Spring, native plants have no trouble growing up through this layer which will break down over the Summer, returning many nutrients to your soil. And lastly, the dead stems will act as natural support for rapid new Spring growth, helping to reduce flopping and lessen the need for heavy pruning or extra maintenance throughout the year.

Remember, feeding insects all Summer is moot if we take away their habitat in the Winter, so please make it a point to !

10/14/2022

My regular update on how to take care of your plants as we head into winter. Always good information from Nathan Duffy!

With the first true hard freeze for most of the area looking very likely toward the end of next week, you may be tempted to spend the upcoming warm weekend doing some Fall clean-up among your perennials. While a little pruning of taller plants for aesthetic purposes is okay, we urge you to let as many dry leaves and flowers fall to the ground and as many dead stems stand over the Winter as possible.

Spent plant material is essential in providing native insects and wildlife food and shelter during the cold Winter months. Leaves and flowers left on the ground create a layer of warmth and safety that many species will hibernate amongst, seeds are a vital food source for overwintering birds and small mammals, and the dead stems will play a major role in the Spring when solitary bees utilize them for laying their eggs and raising the next generation of pollinators.

Leaving these materials will not inhibit plant growth next Spring and actually helps to better protect your investment from harsh conditions during the Winter. Keeping dead stems intact this Fall prevents water from trickling down into the plant’s root zone which can freeze and damage it, negatively affecting its long-term survival. Over the Winter, fallen leaves work to keep your plants’ roots insulated and protected against extreme cold temperatures. In the Spring, native plants have no trouble growing up through this layer which will break down over the Summer, returning many nutrients to your soil. And lastly, the dead stems will act as natural support for rapid new Spring growth, helping to reduce flopping and lessen the need for heavy pruning or extra maintenance throughout the year.

Remember, feeding insects all Summer is moot if we take away their habitat in the Winter, so please make it a point to !

03/15/2022

The yearly reminder from Midwest Natives Nursery regarding spring cleaning your yard.

Its about that time again...to let you know that it is NOT time to cut back your perennial gardens yet.

With the official start of Spring less than a week away and absolutely gorgeous temperatures as far as the forecast can see, we know it’s hard to resist jumping into the Spring clean-up process, but remember, this is Nebraska and the weather can turn on a dime!

You may have heard the general rule of thumb that it is safe to cut back your gardens once the day temperatures reach a steady 50 degrees F. While we're definitely going to be a lot warmer than that this week, the second half of the rule also requires that the threat of a hard freeze has completely passed. The average last freeze in Lincoln generally occurs sometime during the last week of April, so we still have the potential for a lot more Winter, and keeping those dead sticks, stems, and leaves around just a little while longer is imperative to ensure that all of the native insects and other critters utilizing those materials for shelter still have access to them when the temperatures inevitably drop again.

So please, we ask that you resist the urge to clean up your gardens this week and wait until at least mid, if not late-April. The pollinators will thank you!

And as always, when it does come time to cut everything down for the year, remember to try and leave approximately 12-18 inches of the dead stalks standing so that our many species of stem-nesting bees can utilize them to successfully rear their offspring.

The wonderful graphic below (click to see the full image) developed by Heather Holm, Elaine Evans, Colleen Satyshur, and Sarah Foltz-Jordan shows the importance of this practice in the year-long lifecycle of this amazing group of pollinators!

03/01/2021

A friendly reminder from Midwest Natives Nursery to those people getting a little excited about doing some gardening sooner than later this spring.....

I helped design this graphic with Elaine Evans and Colleen Satyshur (UMN Bee Lab) and Sarah Foltz-Jordan (Xerces Society) recently. I hope it helps clear up confusion about how to provide stem-nesting habitat for bees in your garden. Approximately 30% of native bees nest above ground in cavities in stems and wood. Follow the instructions on this graphic to provide more opportunities for stem-nesting bees such as small carpenter bees (Ceratina) and small mason bees (Hoplitis).

https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com/uploads/1/3/9/1/13913231/stemnestingbeesweb.pdf

01/25/2021

Roger Washington and Washington Family Flooring....what can I say?
Roger told his partner to stay safe at home and went out by himself in this weather to install carpet for a young family. A true professional and a great human to boot!
If you need a hard working, reasonably priced flooring job, call Washington Family Flooring and Roger. You won't regret making the call 😀

10/07/2020

If you are getting the urge to do a deep cleaning on your garden or flower bed, here is some good advice from one of my favorite plant and insect experts from this area of the country.

As we near the end of the growing season, you may be tempted to do some Fall clean up among your perennials. While a little pruning of taller plants for aesthetic purposes is okay, we urge you to let as many dry leaves and flowers fall to the ground and as many dead stems stand as possible.

Spent plant material is essential in providing native insects and wildlife food and shelter over the Winter. Leaves and flowers that fall to the ground create an insulated layer of warmth and moisture that many species will spend the Winter in, seeds are a vital food source for overwintering birds and small mammals, and the dead stems will play a major role in the Spring when solitary bees utilize them for laying their eggs.

Leaving these materials will not inhibit plant growth next year and actually helps protect your investment from harsh conditions this Winter. Exposing hollow stems now can cause water to trickle down into a plant’s root zone, freezing and damaging it. In the Spring, the dead stems will provide support for rapid new growth and dry leaves will quickly break down and return many nutrients to your soil.

Feeding insects all Summer is moot if we take away their habitat in the Winter, so please make it a point to !