The ground temperature is still too cool to plant vegetables such as tomatoes.
A sea of flowers at Cirian’s Farmers Market. Tender plants will be brought inside if the temperatures drop below 40.
Michael Pecha has created a native grass garden full of flowers and fauna.
Scott Evans has a caution for area gardeners eager to plant:
“This is Nebraska,” he said. “Right now, our weather is on a big roller coaster. Just because it’s nice today and tomorrow doesn’t mean it’s going to be nice a week from now.”
Evans, horticulture program coordinator for the Extension Office in Douglas-Sarpy Counties, says it’s best to hit pause on your planting plans.
Even though it’s been warm and sunny the past few days, next week’s temperatures will be cooler, with highs some nights in the 30s.
That’s too cold for tomatoes and other warm-season crops. They prefer soil temperatures above 65 degrees. On Monday, the soil temperature in Omaha was around 55.
Last year, Evans said, it snowed 6 inches in mid-April and nighttime temperatures dropped into the 20s.
“We would want to be very cautious on purchasing and planting,” he said. “We don’t want to buy something and go rebuying again.”
The safest time to plant remains after Mother’s Day, which this year falls on May 9. That’s when the danger of frost is gone, Evans said.
Evans said he understands that people are excited to start planting. He said it’s OK to buy annuals and vegetables now to get the best selections, but hold off on planting them for a few more weeks.
Keep them in a sunny spot in the house or, if temperatures during the day are above 60 degrees, put them outside and return them inside in the evening.
“Put a string on your finger so you don’t forget to bring them back in,” he said.
Photos: Tomlinson Woods garden is 20-year work in progress
Rebecca Timmerman of Sunnyside Garden Care maintains Sylvia and Gary Bohn's grounds weekly, sometimes with a pickup loaded with new plants. That’s why the gardens seem to change by the day as the different species take their turn in the limelight.
The word “yard,” though, just doesn’t seem to fit Sylvia and Gary Bohn’s gardens, which wind around the house.
Paths wind around the Bohns’ property. Sylvia says it’s a constant work in progress.
Texas native Sylvia loves hostas, and her backyard has plenty, along with some bronze statues, painted panels and allium.
The patio area now sits off the back of the house, formerly occupying the house's English conservatory space.
The conservatory is Sylvia's favorite room. “Anywhere I sit, I can see outside.”
The conservatory sports heated tile and is air-conditioned.
The arbor on the side of the house was painted red for Sylvia's husband Gary.
The arbor leads to a much larger vegetable plot and a sunken garden on the side of the house.
Rebecca Timmerman of Sunnyside Garden Care maintains the grounds. She comes weekly, sometimes with a pickup loaded with new plants. That’s why the gardens seem to change by the day as the different species take their turn in the limelight. “It’s always a surprise,” Sylvia says.
Sylvia's favorite bleeding hearts are planted around the property.
A Japanese maple shades the lower courtyard on the side of the house.
The five bronze statues around the gardens were a surprise find on one of Gary's business trips. When asked about them, Sylvia responds, “Everything has a story.”
Gary worked for years for Peter Kiewit Sons’ Co., but he wasn’t a golfer. So instead of meeting up with the guys on the links on road trips, he would go exploring. One time he called from Florida to tell Sylvia about some wonderful bronze statues he had discovered.
Soon a huge crate arrived at the house with not one but five statues. “Gary does everything big,” Sylvia says.
More statues, allium, and pansies are featured in the Bohns' front yard.
The beds on the east side of the property include Japanese lilacs. Sylvia adores the fragrance of the blooms. “This is what heaven is going to smell like."
Sylvia fell in love with hostas right away after moving to the Midwest from Texas. “You don’t have to do anything but stick them in the dirt,”
Marjie Ducey
Marjie is a writer for The World-Herald’s special sections and specialty publications, including Inspired Living Omaha, Wedding Essentials and Momaha Magazine. Follow her on Twitter @mduceyOWH. Phone: 402-444-1034.
