Flower Gardening in Kansas City

While growing up I learned a lot about gardening from my mom. We have many fond memories of gardening together. In 2003, our gardens that we spent much of our time in each summer went GLOSSY! They were published in a book by Craig Nienaber, called Flower Gardening in Kansas City: Secrets and tips from the area's best gardener's.

Inside, you will find our gardens on pages 172 - 179.

Clematis growing over an arbor in front of the house, with a view of the front and circle gardens.

Clematis: a beautiful climbing perennial.

Favorite plants of my mom's include: Acanthus mollis (Bears Breeches) and Ligularia.

My mom (Julie) and I in front of our orchard garden.

Daylily: While each flower only last one day, each clump blooms for several weeks.

My mom's gardening tips:

• Use a variety of foliage, especially in perennial gardens.
• Try mixing herbs and vegetable in with your flowers.
• Mulch your gardens with up to 2 inches of cotton-burr mulch in the spring to keep weeds down, and in the late fall to insulate your plants.
• Water first-year perennials more often.
• Don't be afraid to cut back perennials after they bloom, they may rebloom for you!
• When dividing your perennials trade them with friends. This gives your garden a special touch and saves you money.
• Start new gardens by digging your plants into the lawn and surrounding them with 6-8 layers of newspaper topped with compost. The paper will kill the grass without the need for chemicals and it will later decompose.
• Use plants with high drought resistance in areas that get more than five hours of sun, and water them at least every other day (preferably in early morning).

Delphinium (Larkspur): blooms from late spring to late summer.

One of our shade gardens:

What kind of gardens do you have... sun, shade, water, vegetable, herb, perennial, annual?

What are your favorite flowers?

Do you have any gardening tips of your own?