Fall color

Whew, has it been hot! Scorching temperatures and dry conditions in the last few weeks have made it difficult for both people and plants. Our trees are still recovering from the last two years of severe drought and are not fully recovered yet. Fall watering is one of the best things homeowners can do to prevent further stress and help their trees continue to recover.  

But the drought’s over, why are trees still stressed? 

During severe drought, as we experienced in 2022-2023, trees were damaged in several ways as listed below.  

Did you realize some evergreen needles change color in the fall too, just like deciduous trees do? It's true and it often causes alarm in homeowners when their evergreen trees start to drop needles.

Woody floral plants include any woody plant species having colorful or unusually shaped stems, buds, flowers, fruits or leaves. They are given the name "woody florals" because they are often sold to florists for use in flower arrangements. But they also bring interest and color to the home landscape or can be used in home decorations.

Mums are the stars of the fall perennial garden. They bloom profusely and continue blooming even after frosts have zapped tender annual flowers. They are now available at garden centers in a wide range of colors including white, yellow, orange, bronze, red, purple and pink. “Chrysanthemum” is now a common name for this large group of plants. The most widely planted mum, the fall garden mum, is known botanically as Dendranthemum x grandiflorum.

Late summer can be a ho-hum time of year for landscape perennials. Colorful flowers of the early spring and summer bloomers are long-gone and mid-summer bloomers are looking ragged after the tough months of July and August. Fall bloomers like asters and chrysanthemums haven’t started blooming yet.

One plant that pops out at this time of year, brightening the late summer garden is Autumn Lycoris - aka Surprise Lily, Magic Lily or Naked Lady. Botanically this plant is Lycoris squamigera and is common in Nebraska gardens due to its cold tolerance, making it hardy to Zone 5.