The KU Medicinal Garden EMGs invite you to a Fall Equinox Celebration on September 22, at 6 p.m. (See directions to the KU Medicinal Garden below.) Sunset will be about 7:18 p.m. Kelly Kindscher, Senior Scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey, and KU Professor in Environmental Studies, will share his knowledge and discuss his latest book. The book is a revised edition of his 1987 book called Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie: An Ethnobotanical Guide. Based on plant lore documented by historical and archaeological evidence, Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie relates how many plant species were ..read more

Please join us on September 16, at 10:15 am to learn about the Art of Homebrew and Growing Hops by Dr. Chris Koster. His presentation will provide an informal primer on growing hops and making homebrewed beer and mead. Dr. Chris Koster has been homebrewing for 20 years and has extensive experience growing, drying, and brewing with homegrown hops. He lives in Lecompton and is a Pediatrician in Ottawa. All of our education programs start at 10:15 am, are approximately one hour long, and are free and open to the public. You can attend the live presentation in the North room of the Dreher 4-H Fami ..read more

Please join us on August 16, at 10:15 am to learn about the History of Black Farming by Cody Haynes. His presentation will provide a historical exploration of non-white farming communities in Douglas County, highlighting black communities displaced by the Clinton Lake project. Cody Haynes is a small vineyard operator and land steward near Lone Star lake. He has lived in the area for over a decade, and began planting a vineyard & orchard with his husband just outside Lone Star in 2017. All of our education programs start at 10:15 am, are approximately one hour long, and are free and open to ..read more

We are now taking applications for new Douglas County Extension Master Gardeners. No prior experience with plants or gardening is necessary – just a willingness to learn and share with others through various Extension Master Gardener projects. You need to be available for approximately 50 hours of training classes your first year (about 33 of which are online). You also must have at least a High School Diploma or the equivalent. Check out the details and register online. Hope you will come join us! The post Come join us! first appeared on Master Gardeners of Douglas County, KS ..read more

One of the main goals of Extension Master Gardening is education. To help educate our members, and our community, we provide monthly training sessions on gardening topics. All programs start at 10:15 am and are approximately one hour long. Programs are free, open to the public and are held in the North room of the Dreher 4-H Family Building on the Douglas County fairgrounds. Online participants must register before each presentation to participate. If you love gardening, click here to see more details (including how to sign up to attend online). August 16 (Wednesday): History of Black Farming ..read more

K-State’s popular guide to gardening in Kansas has undergone a major makeover that one of its authors said helps to “better reflect the needs and experiences of a wide range of Kansas gardeners, especially our newest gardeners.” You can download the new version now. Printed versions are available to order in the K-State Bookstore. New or expanded content includes: Starting and planning a garden. Raised bed and container gardening. Improving soil health and composting. Planting and maintaining a garden, including watering, fertilizing and other best practices. Fall gardens and extending the ga ..read more

Thank you to all who came out for our Extension Master Gardener’s Garden Tour, Native Plant Sale and Garden Art Sale! We hope you enjoyed the gorgeous gardens! Special shout-out and thank you to all our participating garden teams as well! Your hard work was wonderfully displayed in these flourishing gardens! Here are some highlights from the gardens. The post Thank you! first appeared on Master Gardeners of Douglas County, KS ..read more

The Monarch Watch demonstration garden is maintained and developed by Douglas County Master Gardeners and is situated on the University of Kansas West Campus. Professor Chip Taylor and his staff play a teaching role and instruct Master Gardeners about when to be aware of butterflies and caterpillars. Master Gardeners work with the Monarch Watch organization to maintain sustainable gardening practices. Visitors to this garden can expect to see butterflies and caterpillars in abundance, and not just monarchs. Pipevine grows over arbors in the garden and provides plentiful sustenance for pipevine ..read more

The Baldwin City Demonstration Garden is tucked into a quiet corner of Baldwin’s busy downtown at the intersection of 8th Street and High Street in Tom Swan Park. Master Gardeners work to demonstrate how a wide variety of perennial and annual plants may be grown in a small, heavily used space. “Our focus is to provide a pleasant space for the community to enjoy,” said Master Gardener Carol Anderson. The garden is situated next to the Lumberyard Arts Center.  A combination of orange lilies, purple poppy mallow and phlox delivers an inviting combination along the front sidewalk. A maple tr ..read more

Photo credit: Alison Dishinger The Native Medicinal Garden is a demonstration garden managed by the Douglas County Master Gardeners in collaboration with Kansas Biological Survey. “All of the plants in our garden are native to the Midwest and Great Plains except for culinary herbs,” explains Master Gardener Roxie McGee, one of the garden coordinators. “We are exploring how native plants grow in small spaces so the knowledge can be expanded to people who have gardens of a similar size.” “Grasses like little blue stem, prairie drop seed, and sideoats grama are used alongside flowering plants for ..read more