PlantNebraska Podcast

Every gardener has “that spot” that they aren’t happy with but aren’t sure what to do about it. This week we’re reviewing our problem areas, some success stories, and some ongoing struggles. We would love to hear your stories as well! Share a success story and give us all hope or share an area you aren’t sure how to approach and maybe someone will have a suggestion (or at least commiseration).  F...

We talk about them all the time, but what exactly is a sedge? Why can’t we call them grasses? Why do we love them so much? Bob Henrickson joins us this week to answer all our sedge questions! For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast For early access to new episodes, photos, and other behind the scenes content, join us on Patreon. For $5/mon...

We love grasses, native, ornamental, even annual! It's hard to imagine gardening in the Great Plains without them. They create the base and backdrop for native flowers while creating a sense of place in a prairie state. Grasses are also critical habitat for butterflies, moths, and other pollinating insects. Learn more about becoming a member of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. For more in-depth s...

Need help planning a summer vacation or family trip? Justin Evertson (Green Infrastructure Coordinator) and John Woodworth (Community Forester) join us to talk about our favorite trips to public gardens across the state. Through the American Horticultural Society's reciprocal admissions program, NSA members can receive perks like free admission, free parking, entrance to special exhibits, and othe...

Need help planning a summer vacation or family trip? Justin Evertson (Green Infrastructure Coordinator) and John Woodworth (Community Forester) join us to talk about our favorite trips to public gardens across the state. Through the American Horticultural Society's reciprocal admissions program, NSA members can receive perks like free admission, free parking, entrance to special exhibits, and othe...

This information and scripts for emails and phone calls are available here: https://plantnebraska.org/how-to-help/advocacy.html   The President’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 “Skinny Budget” threatens to eliminate the U.S. Forest Service’s State, Private, and Tribal Forestry (SPTF) programs—a move that would have devastating consequences for communities, volunteer fire departments, landowners, and fo...

We know our listeners enjoy learning about plants they should consider or try each year and we like to make those lists based on a theme. We've done pollinator habitat, we've done other wildlife, we've done shrubs, etc. This year we're going through our team (at the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and Nebraska Forest Service) and sharing everyone's signature, or favorite plants. Anyone who regularly...

Plants are often used to screen visually, for protection from wind, and to limit sound pollution from roadways. One of the most common questions we get is how to select trees, shrubs, grasses (and even perennials) for use in a screen or ‘Living Fence’. Today we’re discussing some of our go-to plants as well as the framework for designing a living fence or creating a visual screen. For more in-dept...

Thanks to the Lied Center, we had the opportunity to meet Dr. Tyson over Zoom and ask him two questions related to his Cosmic Perspective talk! He will be at the Lied Center tonight for a sold-out show. This week we’re partnering with the Lied Center to celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day, check out the show notes for our tips and events. We hope to see you at Spring Affair this weekend! For more in...

This week, we're Growing Deeper into a topic introduced in an episode of our Plant Talk webinar series (watch here). Keystone species, an idea discussed by entomologist Doug Tallamy in several of his books, are a foundation of healthy, functioning habitat. Today we're discussing some of the keystone species of the Great Plains and how understanding this theory impacts the way we design urban green...

This was by far been one of the most popular episodes we have recorded. It's practical, it's helpful, and it brings us hope of spring and new projects. Whether you are a new or longtime listener, we hope you enjoy this look back at how to prepare a new garden bed or get ready to replant an old one. An insider tip: as gardeners we're always in a hurry to get outside so we often shorten well used ph...

There are so many things to keep in mind when trying to garden sustainably and it would be tempting to think they are all black and white issues, “choose this not that and you’ll have the perfect, ecologically friendly garden”. In this episode we’re sharing specific choices we’ve had to make in our own gardens based on available time, physical ability, budget, and problems we’ve needed to solve. F...

Thank you Hannah for your question about planting near buried utilities! We though your question was common enough to answer on it's own instead of during another episode. This is a complicated topic since every neighborhood is designed a little different. Always call 811 and refer to your local ordinances (rules) for planting near utilities. For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing D...

The 2025 issue of The Seed (our largest annual publication) is out and we're giving you practical tips and steps to advocating for tree planting and greenspaces in your community! Whether you see yourself as a hands on volunteer, a vocal advocate, or a future member of a committee or tree board, we hope to inspire you to take the first step to guiding your own community to plant for the future. Re...

This week we are replaying one of our most popular early episodes. All about soil; what it is, what it isn’t, what lives in it, why it’s so important, and what we can do to improve and protect it. It may be a little cold to go outside but we'll offer you a hint of spring and walk you through learning what kind of soil you have and what that means for your plant choices and your garden. Understandi...

The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum mission is to plant Nebraska for healthy people, vibrant communities, and a resilient environment. This week we're reflecting on what this means to us and why, when our jobs often involve more people and paperwork than plants, we continue to be inspired to keep planting. We truly have a wonderful team to work with and we were glad the whole NSA team and our communi...

Sarah and Hanna review their resolutions from last year, plan their 2025 garden projects and share their predictions of what will be in and what will be out this year. For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow us @NEBloomBox on Facebook and Instagram Foll...

Bob Henrickson joins us to announce the 2025 Great Plants for the Great Plains selections! For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail. Follow us @NEBloomBox on Facebook and Instagram Follow us @growingwithbloombox on Pinterest Learn more about Bloom Box: https://p...

Friluftsliv, translated as "free air life", is the Norwegian value of time spent in the outdoors. Michelle, whose family fully embraces friluftsliv, introduced us to the idea last episode during our book review. We've thought of several ways that we practice the free air life, intentionally or naturally, to share and have decided to join Norway in declaring 2025 the year of friluftsliv! For more i...

We're kicking off the holiday season with our annual book review and gift guide! Michelle DeRusha joins us again this year and we share some of the garden related books we read this year (or are looking forward to reading). We also share our list of gift ideas for the gardener in your life, or for your own wish list. For more in-depth show notes, including a full list of the books and gifts we lis...

Dr. Dennis Ferraro, herpetologist, joins us to talk about the reptiles and amphibians that live in and around our gardens. Nebraska is home to many cool species, some can find habitat in our yards and some cannot. Learn more about his work on his website which includes an identification guide. For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send u...

Hanna and Sarah talk about their fall garden plans, cleanup and compost. Dr. Amy Schmidt, a livestock bioenvironmental engineer and professor at UNL, joins us for an interview about how manure can be used to improve our garden soil.  For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave u...

Hanna and Justin talk about trees and shrubs as weeds. Which species are problematic and how to manage them. Justin has many years of experience working with towns, parks and larger conservation areas to manage invasive and weedy species and shares some of his best tips! For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at gro...

Sarah is back! Hanna and Sarah are joined by Carina and Kim from the Nebraska Recycling Council to talk about recycling and other waste reduction practices. We learn about how recycling works broadly, how recycling and waste reduction help our communities and our environment, and what we can strive for as individuals.  For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantn...

In this episode, Hanna gets some late summer gardening advice from the all-knowledgeable Bob Henrickson. They talk about watering, weeding, prepping garden beds, planting trees, and more. Listen now and learn how you can set yourself up for success this fall for next year! For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast Send us your questions at g...