Curious by Nature with Deep Roots

Native landscapes are excellent at managing stormwater, even in their most low-tech applications. While a designed rain garden, or a comprehensive site plan might be beyond the scope of many gardeners’ goals, a simple ‘plop and play’ approach to mitigating runoff and “Containing the Rain” can yield big results with simply the right plants in the right place. Chris Cardwell of Deep Roots will share...

Conventional gardening practices encourage fall clean up, but wildlife depends on standing plant material through winter. Join Deep Roots KC's "Native Plant Nerds" as they demonstrate nature-minded ways to maintain your gardens at the end of the growing season. Learn about early fall garden decisions, the dos and don'ts of leaving your leaves, and the many ways our plant material...

Insects play essential roles in ecosystems, yet many are misunderstood, especially in our gardens during the fall. This presentation by Tamra Reall of MU Extension Office, invites you to look beyond fear and learn what insects need to survive seasonal changes. We explore commonly misunderstood arthropods and learn how fall practices, like early garden clean-up, can unintentionally harm beneficial...

Sow Wild Natives is one of Kansas City’s oldest native plant nursery who grows ethically sourced native plants from seeds in our ecoregion. Not just what, but how they grow contributes to a more sustainable and beautiful world. Take a virtual tour with co-founder, Tracy Twombly as we glean the process of growing native plants from seed and walk through demonstration gardens with varying goals. Gai...

Despite urbanization, Kansas City has a few remaining old growth prairies, light-dappled woodlands, shaded forests, and rich wetlands. Bridging the Gap’s Kansas City WildLands program conserves, protects, and restores these remnants of original landscape by connecting people to steward the land. Learn about KC WildLands’ community conservation efforts to collect native seeds to distribute through...

Adding hardscape to your landscape can create visual cohesion and provide practical opportunities to maintain your garden. Join Kyle Johnson of Bur Oak Ventures for a practical approach to basic natural stone hardscape design and installation. In this Curious by Nature episode, we learn more about how to DIY small stone walls, dry creek beds, flagstone foot paths, and more. To view the video recor...

Could the key to more successful prairie restorations be hidden beneath our feet? Join Deep Roots and Johnson County Parks and Recreation District as we explore the fascinating world of native Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) with Dr. Liz Koziol of the University of Kansas. Her research focuses on how restoring AMF improves floristic quality, increase native plant diversity, and help suppress we...

It’s estimated that Shortleaf Pine once covered 4.2 million acres of the Missouri Ozark region. Much of this was clear cut for its prized timber at the turn of the 20th century. By 1940 the Missouri State Highway Department preserved a stretch of old growth pines along Highway 19. Join Deep Roots as they hike with Neal Humke of L-A-D Foundation through one of Missouri’s oldest pine forests. Along...

The Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP) began in 1989 amid concerns over the effects of clearcutting forests on songbird populations. Thirty-seven years later, the Missouri Department of Conservation has studied how common forest management practices impact flora, wildlife, soil health, and other ecosystem components. Take a virtual hike through Peck Ranch with MDC forester and distric...

Hidden within Cedar Niles Park is a relatively unknown natural area where scattered limestone outcrops hint at a larger glade ecosystem stretching into nearby remnant prairies and woodlands. Recent discoveries, including county record species like Mentzelia oligosperma reveal a landscape shaped by thin soils and extreme conditions. Join us for a virtual hike across this striking gradient from prai...

Late spring in the Midwest means hotter temps and more rain which equals more garden maintenance! Join Deep Roots’ “native plant nerds” Cydney and Maddie as they highlight summer blooms, weeds, and demonstrate maintenance strategies to support your gardens at home! Have a plant that gets too tall in the fall? Or perhaps you regret adding a prolific native plant species to your garden? Techniques i...

Through observation you can determine how prolific a plant will spread and if it’s compatible with other plants in your garden. From rapid spreaders to plants that prefer their space, join Cydney Ross of Deep Roots as she explores the sociability of native plants in a garden setting. She also answers questions from a live audience about how native plants work well in containers, how sociability ma...

How long should you water a newly planted perennial garden and what are the best practices for dividing and transplanting native plants? Also oops - what happens if you accidentally plant the wrong tree? Is all hope lost? Can you move it?? Enjoy this bonus minisode as Deep Roots native plant nerds, Maddie Ball and Cydney Ross dig in to a residential garden! Visit www.deeproots.org/curious-by-natur...

April showers brought all the native flowers! Join Deep Roots as their “native plant nerds” take a virtual walk through Cydney’s home garden, show practical gardening tips, and talk about how to build gardens from scratch. Maddie Ball and Cydney Ross identify garden-variety native plants and demonstrate editing gardens with intent over time. Learn how (and when!) to divide or edit out native plant...

Enjoy this Earth Day bonus episode, where we invite you to experience the outdoors in a new way. Deep Roots partnered with Sami Aaron, founder of The Resilient Activist, to bring you a guided outdoor meditation session. Sami highlights the vital role that meditation and mental health play in sustaining climate activists and building long-term resilience. For the best experience, find a comfortable...

Join Deep Roots as their “native plant nerds” take a virtual walk through the gardens of the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center. In this episode Maddie Ball and Cydney Ross identify garden-variety Missouri native plants, how to maintain them, and their numerous ecological benefits. During the live Q&A Deep Roots answers gardening questions about what to do about trees with water sprouts, the var...

Historically, Missouri was composed of 30,000,000 acres of native prairie which was home to numerous grassland bird species. Today with less than 60,000 acres of quality prairie remaining, how has this impacted bird populations and what can we do about it? Join Deep Roots and the Missouri River Bird Observatory (MRBO) in this inspirational episode as we visit prairie restorations and residents tha...

Companion planting with native plants brings more pollinators and beneficial bugs right into your veggie garden, which means healthier plants and better harvests. Their deep roots help build strong soil and manage water more naturally. Best of all, mixing natives with vegetables creates a lively, resilient garden that works with nature and produces more food. Join Kay Thomason of Deep Roots to lea...

The Micro-World Living in Your Garden: Why Insects Are the Most Interesting Neighbors You Have Insects are essential to healthy landscapes and quietly shape our gardens in ways we rarely notice. This presentation invites you to slow down and explore the hidden micro-world living in your garden and the vital roles insects play. Join Tamra Reall, Field Specialist in Horticulture for University of Mi...

Growing native foods is a delicious, sustainable practice that connects us to nature. Discover the beauty and benefits an edible landscape provides at Prairie Birthday Farm in Kearney, Missouri. Meet farm steward, Linda Hezel, who transformed a degraded fescue lot into a thriving farm where science, art, and food converge. To view the video recording of this episode and join our webinars live ever...

Whether you’re designing for a school courtyard, senior living community, or your own backyard refuge, this webinar offers practical guidance for creating landscapes that restore and regenerate. Join Deep Roots and Maria Landoni, founder of SUR Landscape Architecture, as we explore how native plants create therapeutic spaces that heal both people and ecosystems. Discover design principles for heal...

Whether its aphids, powdery mildew, or pesky weeds, the battle to protect your plants from pathogens and overwhelming populations of pests is a daunting one. In this episode of Curious by Nature, the EPA-Region 7’s Pesticide Outreach Coordinator, Sharon Dobesh, discusses sustainable Integrated Pest Management systems. Sharon covers different types of natural enemies and how to encourage species va...

This is a Curious by Nature minisode featuring the Q&A session with guest expert, Susan Farrington, Natural History Biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation's Ozark Region. Live audience asks questions about best ways to support native insect and bird populations, the impact of native gardens even on a small scale, and more. If you’d like to hear the full episode on the Histor...

Take a virtual hike through Ozark County’s Caney Mountain Conservation Area! Join Deep Roots and Missouri Department of Conservation as they explored the habitats and history of this 7,899-acre conservation area deep in the Ozark region. From glade and woodland plant species to the historic Wild Turkey reintroduction and a glimpse into A. Starker Leopold’s cabin – this episode has it all. Stick ar...

This is a Curious by Nature minisode featuring the Q&A session with guest expert, Coltin Ridenour of Johnson County Parks and Recreation District. If you’d like to hear the full episode on prescribed fire, be sure to tune in to the November 6th episode when you’re done here!  Fire is just one tool in the shed for land management but has been utilized by people for millennia. Join Johnson Count...