Once again, as the days get shorter and cooler, the signal for the deciduous plants to shut down and lose their leaves is upon us. This process creates the most colorful display of most plants’ year as the leaves turn shades of yellows to oranges (carotenoid pigments) or reds to purple (anthrocyanin pigments). Sunny, dry … Read More
The Visitor Center is decked out in its fall attire with a new suite of plants that like cool weather and can tolerate frosts and mild freezes. In fact, some of these plants can survive the winter and rebloom next spring. Yes, Greater Kansas City’s climate allows for a third garden that can often look … Read More
The last of the showy flowers still shine at Powell Gardens. Get out for a visit this weekend as it is for many, the last chance to see. Jack Frost did not pay a garden-wide visit so there is still much to see.Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) is in full flower now. Its scented foliage and … Read More
Yes, you can grow figs outdoors in Greater Kansas City. Figs (Ficus carica) may have been mankind’s first domesticated plant. They predate cereal grains by nearly 1,000 years and were grown well before olives, dates and grapes. Figs are large shrubs or small trees in zones 8 and warmer but make good “dieback” plants in … Read More
It’s hard to believe mid-fall is upon us! Senior Gardener Jennifer Comer (right) and Gardener Ginger Johnson (left) pose in front of the Perennial Garden’s most flowerful perennials: Parkfreund Mallow (Malva ‘Parkfreund‘). This German selection has proven to bloom summer into fall for three years now. A closeup of Parkfreund Mallow’s flowers show a pleasant … Read More