Publications and Resources
Nebraska Extension Educators and Specialists have developed many resources to help you use water more efficiently and help keep it clean. Nebraska Extension has also developed materials to help youth learn about water and how to save it and keep it clean. Read on for a listing of all of these great resources for your landscape.
UNL Extension Publications
Landscape Design and Care
All-America Selections - Organization's Web site for a listing of well proven veggie and annual flower cultivars.
Annuals for Nebraska Landscapes I: Flowering Plants, NebGuide G1774.
Annuals for Nebraska Landscapes II: Foliage, Grasses, Fruit and Vines, NebGuide G1775.
Backyard Farmer video clips on YouTube
Home Landscape: Understanding the Basics of Landscape Design, Extension Circular EC1254. Learn how to apply the basic principles of landscape design (function, repetition, rhythm, unity, balance, color and proportion) to enhance your landscape. Cost: $6.50.
Installing Your Riparian Buffer: Tree and Grass Planting, Postplanting Care and Maintenance, NebGuide G1558.
Landscape Sustainability, NebGuide G1405. Aesthetic, functional and sound design principles create an environmentally-friendly landscape.
Mulches For The Home Landscape, NebGuide G1257. Inorganic and organic mulches benefit a landscape.
Ornamental Grasses for Nebraska Landscapes, NebGuide G1691. Select and care for ornamental grasses that are well adapted to Midwestern landscapes.
Perennial Plant Association - Plant of the Year
Planning Your Riparian Buffer: Design and Plant Selection, NebGuide G1557.
Tips for a Sustainable Landscape
Trees in the Home Landscape, NebGuide G1747. Learn the functional and aesthetic benefits of trees, as well as their basic growth and maintenance requirements.
Winter De-icing Agents for the Homeowner, NebGuide G1121. Use de-icers wisely to prevent landscape damage.
Lawn Care
Cool Season Lawn Calendar for Eastern Nebraska, NebGuide G2356. Step by step instructions for maintenance throughout the year.
Cool Season Lawn Calendar for Western Nebraska, NebGuide G2359. Step by step instructions for maintenance throughout the year.
Management of Buffalograss Turf in Nebraska, NebGuide G1947. Step by step instructions for maintenance throughout the year.
Selecting a Lawn Care Company, NebGuide G1617.
Stormwater Management
Nebraska Bioretention and Rain Garden Plants Guide, Extension Circular EC1261. Information on a broad range of plants suited to bioretention and rain gardens in Nebraska and the Central Plains region. 64 pages. Cost: $15.00.
Rain Garden Design–Site Selection and Sizing Guide, Extension Circular EC1262. This interactive publication provides basic information you should know before constructing a rain garden.
Five YouTube videos to help you design and install a Rain Garden:
Rain Garden Design–Designing Your Garden
Rain Garden Design–Testing Soil Infiltration Rate
Rain Garden Design–Measuring Roof Drainage Area
Rain Garden Design–Estimating Land Slope
Rain Garden Design–Outlining Your Garden Site
Stormwater Management: Disconnecting Downspouts and Impervious Surfaces, G2186. This NebGuide gives an overview of several methods to reduce the amount of stormwater and pollution from a property by eliminating direct connections between downspouts and impervious surfaces or municipal storm drain systems.
Stormwater Management: Landscape Water Conservation, NebGuide G1859. Conserve water and reduce runoff from lawns and landscapes.
Stormwater Management: Pesticide Use in the Lawn and Garden, NebGuide G1844. Properly use and apply lawn and garden pesticides to prevent contaminating stormwater runoff.
Stormwater Management: Rainwater Harvesting with Rain Barrels, G2220. This NebGuide provides information on the use of rain barrels for collecting and temporarily storing rainwater from rooftops; non-potable uses of collected rainwater; and rain barrel components, installation, and maintenance. (2.4 MB)
Stormwater Management: Rainwater Harvesting in Residential-Scale Landscapes, NebGuide G2148. An overview of rainwater harvesting systems and the use of captured rainwater for landscape irrigation and other outdoor non-potable uses.
Stormwater Management on Residential Lots, Extension Circular EC707. Assess the risk of runoff pollution from your property and find ideas to reduce that risk.
Stormwater Management: Terminology, Extension Circular EC701. A description of many stormwater management terms.
Stormwater Management: Water Pollution and Our Own Yards, NebGuide G1848. Reduce water pollution and conserve water resources by reducing the amount of pollutants and runoff that leave a property.
Stormwater Management: Yard Waste Management, NebGuide G1855. Prevent organic waste from polluting runoff through composting and other means.
Three NebGuides on rain gardens as a functional and aesthetic way to reduce polluted runoff:
Stormwater Management: Rain Garden Design for Homeowners, NebGuide G1758.
Stormwater Management: Plant Selection for Rain Gardens in Nebraska, NebGuide G1759.
YouTube video clip on rain gardens from Backyard Farmer.