Kansas City Landscaping and Lawn Care Ideas

This is on of my favorite trees to plant in Kansas City.  ‘Emperor I’ is very similar to ‘Bloodgood’ in growth habit, although this tree has a lighter almost translucent quality to the leaves. It holds its red color well throughout the summer months, and has a brilliant crimson fall display. It grows to about a maximum of 15 feet tall and 7 feet wide.    This tree does very well in Kansas City landsapes.  it does best if protected from hot afternoon sun.

Clover is a common weed in Kansas City Lawns.  It spreads rapidly by stolons or above ground roots structures.  The plant takes root from the stolons at nodes along the stems when they come in contact with the soil. Clover is one of the most easily identified of the common weeds in Kansas City.  It tends to grow in dense patches in lawns that are not especially thick.  It needs consistently moist ground to survive and prefers soils low in nitrogen.  It has white or slightly pink flowers during late summer and early fall.  The flowers are a favorite of bees and other nectar sucking insects.

The best way to prevent clover is with good cultural practices that promote a thick healthy lawn.  Fertilizing and caring for your grass year round will make any other control of clover unnecessary. 

To control clover chemically,  use any product that contains 2-4d and carfentrazone.  As important as the herbicide when spraying clover, is the use of a great spreader/sticker.  Clover has a very waxy film over its leaves that can make control hard if the proper additives are not used.

Kansas City lawns do not need to have clover if they are well cared for and taken care of.

Landscapes in Kansas City will soon be hitting the deep freeze.   Well, maybe not the deep freeze.  However even with temperatures reaching down into upper 20’s — it is important to have all the information necessary.

First of all this is not at all like the freeze of 2007 — although the dates are not that different.  The difference lies in the weather of March.  In 2007, Kansas City’s weather was unseasonably warm.  Plants were a good 3 - 4 weeks ahead of normal development.  Last year I already had Iris blooms poking up in my yard.  This year, I barely have leaves coming through last falls leaves.  Freezing temperatures this weekend will only be a slight problem for landscapers and homeowners in Kansas City.

Different plants will need different amounts of care this weekend.

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It’s hard to believe that the killing April freeze of 2007 was one year ago today in Kansas City. It devastated so much of Kansas City landscaping. Many of the trees and shrubs that were hurt never recovered. Japanese Maples were one of the most dramatically effected plants. Most of the maples died back considerably and did not look good last year. I recommended that most of my customers wait until fall and then cut back the dead wood and see how they look. However, it has become apparent that most of them will lose there attractiveness and it will take years until they look good again. Most people will end up replacing them.

Japanese maples are still good choices for Kansas City landscaping. The combination of climatic features that led to the April freeze were rare and will likely never happen to that degree again.

This week’s weed of the week is henbit. Henbit, Lamium amplexicaule, is a winter annual. Right now Henbit is growing and showing itself in Kansas city. Some defining characteristics of henbit is square stems, and a pink to purple flower. The leaves are round to heart-shaped with a rounded tooth leaf margin. Henbit can develop stems up to sixteen inches in length. Henbit can be frustrating for homeowners because it is often the one of the first weeds they see and it also is most prolici when Kansas city lawns are at their weakest. A good fertilization and lawn care program will help keep henbit out of your lawn.

I have great news! Crabgrass has been eradicated from the state of Kansas. Absolutely annihilated — every single plant! Not a single plant growing in anyone’s yard anywhere in the state or Kansas City. Ok — here is the bad news, this is not a result of any miraculous event or secret government work. Instead, since crabgrass is a warm season annual, it all died after the first hard frost.

However, there are literally billions of small crabgrass seeds laying in wait for the soil temperature to rise to 55 degrees for 10 consecutive days. Each crabgrass plant in your yard last year produced upwards of 180,000 seeds and flung them into the air. Even if you didn’t have a single plant in your yard last year — your neighbors did and they generously shared their crop of invasive weeds with you — guaranteed. Don’t worry though — you can outsmart the crabgrass and keep it from ruining your otherwise pristine yard. Here’s how.

The battle against crabgrass is two pronged. One uses chemical warfare to initially suppress the onslaught and the second uses good cultural practices to make your lawn uninviting and able to fight off the crabgrass gremlins before they get a chance to grow.

Before you can fight the enemy — you have to know the enemy. (more…)