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Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

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a candy cane stripped amarylis flower

Grow or gift an amaryllis for a winter gardening experience

The gift of gardening is an experience anyone can appreciate this holiday season. Take the stress out of shopping this holiday season and give a blooming amaryllis kit that brings the beauty of nature indoors. Poinsettias are beautiful, popular holiday plants, but the gift of an amaryllis bulb kit...
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a cat looks out a brightly lit home at two carved and glowing pumpkins

Turn orange goo into black 'gold;' compost your pumpkins

Keep that pumpkin out of the trash. Halloween night may be filled with frights, but garbage day is where the real horror lurks. Every year, discarded pumpkins and decaying jack-o-lanterns are hauled off to landfills by the thousands. The masses of orange flesh piling up in landfills produce...
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Squash and pumpkins piled in mums

Pumpkins, gourds, and squash, oh my!

In falls fading light, toothy grins glow from neighborhood porches filled with pumpkins, squash, and gourds, festively displayed. All members of one family (Cucurbitaceae), cucurbits (pumpkin, squash, and gourds) are very functional fruits. Not only are they flavorful; the source of food usually...
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dormant tulip bulbs in black trays

Plant spring bulbs now for early spring beauty

Give it a rest. With outside temperatures cooling, many gardeners are ready to give their tools (and their body) a rest. Although your gardening enthusiasm may be fading, preparation has just begun for another season of color: planting spring bulbs.   After a cold snowy winter, you will be glad...
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two children walk on a mulch path under trees

Ideas for youth to explore and connect with nature

Spending time in nature is beneficial to our health and well-being. It can improve our mood, make us feel more relaxed, help us be more active, and even connect us with our community. For children, time playing in nature is needed for healthy development. Don’t let the benefits of time outdoors...
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green oat plants with light green seedheads

Harness the power of nature: Winter-kill cover crops

A hidden gem lies in the late season soil—cover crops. Their transformative power benefits farm operations large and small. And now, vegetable and flower gardeners are discovering their value in the home garden. No matter how small a gardening space you have, the effects of incorporating cover...
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