We, the dog, my son and I, take a daily run on campus and it is stunning right now at its absolute peak. Every morning we soak in our public park-like setting among the granduer of the buildings and add to that the spring time colors it is truly an excellent, massive area for outdoor enthusiasts. I highly recommend taking a slow stroll through campus right now. Please go read more about the fabulous work Mike Lang and his staff perform by clicking on KU Gardens. The crab apple, cherry, redbud, dogwood and pear trees are all in full bloom, add the forsythia, and the beds of colorful tulips and enjoy, but don’t blink you might miss this glorious display before it quickly fades away.

The Magnolia trees are pink, cottony beauties right now, the dogwoods are just beginning to get their buds and the crocus and hyacinth are wafting the air with the sweet scents of spring. Area gardeners share with us their perennial favorites that emerge in the spring, please read Favorite Spring Perennials to get inspired to try new flora and remind yourself of the reasons you love spring!

Hi everyone, if you were able to tune into the live chat hosted by the Lawrence Journal World here are some added pieces of literature to read in order to get a more indepth understanding of the conversations that took place. We talked about amending the soil to get ready to plant a vegetable garden, for more please read Adding Organic Matter. We spoke about berries, for more please read Lawson Brothers Farm. To learn more about grasses that grow well in Lawrence, check out Buffalograss. And lastly, for attracting butterflies and birds to the garden please refer to, Attracting Birds and Butterfly Gardening. I hope this is helpful and please, keep asking those questions and sharing great ideas you’d like to read about or gardens around the area that you would like to sneak a peek of.

The weekend is almost upon us and now is the time to dust off your shears, don a long sleeved shirt and go partake in a little rose pruning. March is the time to trim off the dead winter growth, ventilate our roses with some trimming and reshape these tried and true plants for another gorgeous show. By trimming roses they will not only perform better but their blooms will be more prolific and larger, to learn more please read my article, rose pruning. Enjoy one of the first garden tasks of this young growing season!

Wow, it is March! Now is a great time to plant some cool-loving annuals in your barren pots to add a fabulous splash of color and give you that oomph of adrenaline that comes with the onslaught of spring. These cool seeking flora are some of the most gorgeous Mother Nature has to offer, with the little faces of the pansy and viola to the fluffy dianthus blooms. To learn more about these annuals and others read, Cold Season Annuals. As we take long strolls in the evenings, be sure to be one of the first to dress up your entry and invite spring into your world a little early.