Adams County Horticulture, Lawns, Trees and Master Gardeners

We are available to help you with Gardening, Lawn or Tree questions you may have.

Interested in learning more about the Master Gardeners?

Please contact Rita Brhel, Horticulture Aide at the Adams County Extension Office 402-461-7209 or via email rbrhel3@unl.edu to get the process started and your questions answered.

Lawn, Tree, Garden Areas of Assistance, Local Master Gardeners Information

Adams County Horticulture Helpline

Have a plant problem? Or a question about your trees, lawn, garden, flowers, or houseplant? We can help! And at no cost.

Starting a Vegetable Garden

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

The GRO Big Red Virtual Learning Series programs. These free webinars via Zoom are an opportunity to join experts from Nebraska Extension to learn and ask questions! All  programs are second Wednesday of the month from Noon-1pm CT. 

Information & Registration
Virtual Learning Feb 12

Selecting a Tree for Fall Color

 Not all trees grow well in Nebraska. Among those that do grow well here, not all trees are suitable for every space.

 One of Adams County’s Nebraska Extension Master Gardener projects, Highland Park Arboretum in Hastings, provides homeowners with a living reference of trees that grow well in Nebraska.

 Check out the HPA Fall Color Tree Resource of recommended trees along with growth considerations.

HPA Fall Color Tree Resource
Large Tree with Fall Colors of red and Yellow

Sacred Ponca Corn Free to the Public

People holding Ears of harvested Ponca Corn

A unique corn display attracted attention this summer at the Hastings Public Library's new outdoor learning greenspace, located at the corner of North Denver Avenue and West Third Street. The planting featured the “Three Sisters” — a combination of sacred corn from the Nebraska Ponca, winter squash, and pole beans — showcasing traditional indigenous agricultural practices while fostering community engagement.

The Nebraska Extension Master Gardeners in Adams County led this initiative in partnership with the Hastings Public Library and the City of Hastings. Their efforts transformed the outdoor space, blending education with the natural environment.

“I’ve really appreciated the involvement of the Master Gardeners,” said Amy Dissmeyer, director of Hastings Public Library. “They’ve gone above and beyond my expectations. We’ve received so many compliments from the community about how wonderful the space looks.” 

Master Gardener volunteer Darrell Light spearheaded the project, which employs intercropping—planting maize, beans, and squash together. Known as the Three Sisters, this technique dates back over 500 years and is a symbol of both the physical and spiritual nourishment these crops provided for many Native American tribes.

The Library's Three Sisters planting consists of 24 mounds, each sown with four kernels of sacred corn in mid-May. Pole beans were added in early June, followed by various types of winter squash by mid-June, including kabocha, tokoyo blue, black futsu, acorn, butternut, buttercup, baby blue, spaghetti squash, and several pumpkin varieties. 

Master Gardener volunteer Stacy Bierman, of Hastings, provided three varieties of Ponca maize—blue, red, and red-mottled-white—gifted to her by Tom Genung of BOLD Nebraska. Genung had received the sacred corn from Neligh farmer Art Tanderup, who grows this 137-year-old maize, originally preserved in a Lakota Sioux medicine bundle, as part of efforts to honor the Ponca Tribe and heal historical wounds.

While the Ponca Trail of Tears did not pass through Hastings, the Library’s Three Sisters planting honors the sacrifices of all indigenous Nebraska people, including the Pawnee, and seeks to educate the community on these cultural and agricultural legacies.

Throughout the summer, Master Gardeners maintained the plot and answered public questions about the unique qualities of the sacred Ponca corn, which stands out from the hybrid varieties typically grown in Nebraska fields.

On October 1, the corn was harvested in a ceremony that included Master Gardeners Light, Bierman, and fellow Master Gardener volunteer Jane Marie, alongside Dissmeyer and Genung. The group shucked the Ponca corn, recognizing the deep historical and cultural significance of the moment.

With the Ponca Tribe’s permission, a portion of the harvested corn will remain with the Master Gardeners for future community projects. The rest will be available to the public through the University of Nebraska Extension office at Adams County.

“The Master Gardeners are an incredible wealth of expertise and generosity in our community,” Dissmeyer said. “I hope they will continue to be involved as we develop the space for future library programming.”

The Adams County Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who share gardening knowledge through various community projects, including the Highland Park Arboretum, Grace United Methodist Church Community Garden, and Hastings Middle School Community Garden, as well as educational programming for all ages.

For more information, call Rita Brhel, Horticulture Aide at Adams County Extension office at 402-461-7209.