I’m no presidential historian. Ask me to list them in order and I’ll stumble beyond the Bushes and likely forget half the names to occupy the office during the country’s first 150 years. So, it should be no surprise that I was slow to appreciate that Lincoln, who I knew served during the most divisive chapter in American history, was our Nation’s greatest architect of cohesion...

Cool-season grasses common in Iowa lawns, including Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass and fescue, naturally turn brown and in summer enter dormancy when rainfall or irrigation is scarce. Although the foliage dies back, crowns and roots remain alive. Most healthy lawns can survive dormancy for four to six weeks without water and recover when moisture returns...

I spent an afternoon earlier this May visiting a conservation wetland while planning a tour for an edge-of-field practice workshop.  It was my first visit to a wetland this year and what immediately caught my attention wasn’t one specific feature, but the sense of joy I felt being there...

There are several options for creating a lawn using turf-like alternatives to the traditional grasses grown in lawns. In Iowa, the most commonly grown turfgrasses are Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and fine fescues.  These cool-season grasses require many inputs to keep them healthy and attractive.  Additionally, they typically go dormant for part of the summer, leaving the lawn brown in July and August unless regularly irrigated.  Several plants that look much like the turfgrasses we are familiar with but require fewer inputs are available.  Most of these turfgrass alternatives can be minimally mowed or, in some cases, not mowed at all...