Franklin-Cotterell Greens Arboretum in North Bend, NE

Franklin-Cotterell Greens Arboretum in North Bend, NE It is open to the public year around.

The arboretum encompasses the grounds of North Bend Central Jr-Sr High School and was accepted as one of approximately 100 affiliate sites of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.

Well, that didn't last two weeks! Don't understand why someone would do something like this.
09/25/2026

Well, that didn't last two weeks! Don't understand why someone would do something like this.

Bergeson ash northeast of the stadium had to be removed. The ash borers are relentless on our ash trees and I can't even...
08/17/2026

Bergeson ash northeast of the stadium had to be removed. The ash borers are relentless on our ash trees and I can't even count how many we've lost over the years. Dan Kreinert does a great job of removal and cleanup after the fact but losing that baby will leave a hole in the sky!

Proof that that water does spread! There is a tree inside the blue bucket, Sargent Oak, that's been getting the soaker b...
07/30/2026

Proof that that water does spread! There is a tree inside the blue bucket, Sargent Oak, that's been getting the soaker bucket treatment weekly. The ring of green grass supports the fact that it is doing some good.

Too many trees get planted in the spring and supplemental watering is almost a necessity to make sure they survive the summer heat and lack of rainfall. Best to plant in the fall and let those roots grow underground during the winter so they're ready to go next year.

BTW, I had no choice with these guys. We got 17 trees from the Nebraska Forest Service back in May so they had to go in the ground.

Yes, that one tree is dying, or at least it's being killed!Oh my, why? Well, it's called "The Tree of Heaven" except it...
07/25/2026

Yes, that one tree is dying, or at least it's being killed!

Oh my, why? Well, it's called "The Tree of Heaven" except it is anything but heavenly. Takes over an area, rampant seeding and spread by roots, and grows phenomenally fast; I had a seedling in my garden one year and it grew 10 feet that one year. I cut it and used it as a specimen in the classroom. At least it was good for something.

Former student and fellow environmental watchdog, Jason Hamata, spotted this thing hiding in plain sight during a visit to the arboretum! It was growing robustly in the staghorn sumac bed a tree with very similar leaves and growth patterns and he was astute enough to see it and let me know.

Removal is no normal process either because if you just cut it off it gets angry and sends up "revenge" sprouts from all of its roots and I was not looking forward to that so I basal sprayed it with an appropriate herbicide about three weeks ago. It entailed using diesel fuel to pe*****te the bark and the herbicide Crossbow that has a couple of whacks of chemical to get those tough trees and shrubs.

Jason, thank you for your vigilance in finding and identifying what could have become a major problem!

Welp, here's some people thankful we planted those trees in 1991 and 1992. Football camp a week or so ago. They weren't ...
07/24/2026

Welp, here's some people thankful we planted those trees in 1991 and 1992. Football camp a week or so ago. They weren't the only team enjoying the shade!

Another variety of oak that's being tested for viability in our bioregion. We received three oak species; Gambel, Sargen...
07/07/2026

Another variety of oak that's being tested for viability in our bioregion. We received three oak species; Gambel, Sargent and Wavyleaf, some shellbark hickory and some pawpaw to test. I would tell you they are all alive as of this writing but I don't want to jinx them!

Buckets serve multiple purposes in protecting from rabbits, wind and herbicide. I remember being at a forestry workshop and hearing "grass may be the biggest competitor" so generally it is removed from the immediate area around the seedlings and then mulched with woodchips.

Weekly watering is the usual but with the close to inch rains the past couple of weekends we've not had to haul water.

New trees get a slow soak hence the "S" on the bucket, soaker. I've mistaken non-soaker buckets for soaker buckets and v...
07/07/2026

New trees get a slow soak hence the "S" on the bucket, soaker. I've mistaken non-soaker buckets for soaker buckets and vice versa so had to take to marking them so I don't make the same mistake again! Tote 5 gallons to the "S" buckets and let them go for about an hour. Point being the the water comes out slowly enough that it percolates into the soil instead of running off.

One of our new oak trees. If you look closely you can see new growth of about 3 inches on the leader since it was plante...
07/07/2026

One of our new oak trees. If you look closely you can see new growth of about 3 inches on the leader since it was planted. It's happy!

Ever wondered what a persimmon looks like? I planted these on a berm somewhere around 30 years ago because we had some r...
06/13/2026

Ever wondered what a persimmon looks like? I planted these on a berm somewhere around 30 years ago because we had some room to do so. They grew so slowly but the trunks are pretty and, now, so are the flowers! The flowers are very small and this is only the second time I've seen any on the trees. From what I've been reading we must have two female trees because we've never gotten any fruit.

A bit late getting this posted but it's "story walk" week in the arboretum sponsored by the library!
06/03/2026

A bit late getting this posted but it's "story walk" week in the arboretum sponsored by the library!

Address

1320 Walnut Street
North Bend, NE
68649

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Franklin-Cotterell Greens Arboretum in North Bend, NE posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category