Our native plantings have been doing really well and the flower gardens have been looking very nice this year despite the harsh winter we had. We have had to remove a few trees that were weakened or killed over the winter and by the spring storms. We plan to replant some trees this fall when the trees go dormant and are less stressed by the planting process. Visitors might notice a little higher grass at the rest areas this time of year. We set our mower at it's highest level and let the grass grow a little taller in the heat of the summer to provide more shading for the soil to help retain soil moisture during the hot weather.
More soil moisture means better grass roots and less bare spots to give weeds a chance to grow.
The simple act of just allowing the grass to be a little taller saves considerably on reseeding due to summer kill and allows the grass to help keep back weeds to a minimum on its own without having to put on herbicides. Unfortunately, even allowing the grass to grow a little taller doesn't always guarantee green grass in Kansas through July and August, but we try the best we can. Visitors may have noticed the increased activities in both Garnett and Ottawa along the trail recently with the county fair and rodeo activities. The trail runs adjacent to the fairgrounds in both Garnett and Ottawa and was used considerably during the fairground activities for parking, picnics and access to the fairgrounds by foot from other parts of the communities. Having the trail access saved many people the problems of trying to fit more vehicles into parking areas and gave residents the option to walk to and from the fair if they wished.