Shade trees are some of the most valuable plants in most urban landscapes. They provide energy saving shade as well as valuable habitat for wildlife in a sometimes otherwise inhospitable built environments. However, a mature shade tree takes considerable time to develop the canopy and...
Cover cropping is a practice we often associated with larger scale farming, but they have the same great benefits in our home vegetable gardens. A cover crop is a crop that is grown for protection and enrichment of the soil rather than for harvest. Since they are not harvested for use...
Every gardener has several of those go-to plants, the ones that seem to always grow nicely in their particular gardening system, making them a repeated addition over the years. I just love it when one of these go-to specimens can not only provide ornamental beauty, but an edible harvest as...
In recent decades, insect populations around the globe have been declining dramatically. A 2019 study assessed global insect populations and determined that 40% of all insect species are in decline and some may reach extinction in coming decades if populations are not stabilized. Among...
Plants in the genus Hosta, collectively referred to as hostas, are one of the premier plants for ornamental gardens that lack full sun. These resilient perennials are a mainstay of Midwestern shade gardens and remain popular in temperate regions worldwide. However, that wasn’t...
Tomatoes are the most commonly planted garden crop in the United States, as evidenced by the wide range of tomato plants available every year in garden centers. Beyond home production of tomatoes, the U.S. has historically led global commercial production, with California being our top...
Whether its fungi, bacteria or even viruses, one of the most important aspects of plant disease management is stopping or limiting the spread of infectious pathogens. I have always been fascinated by the way these tiny organisms, rarely visible to the naked eye, make their way through nature...
There are so many plants in nature that tend to reveal themselves during some kind of phenological event, such as flowering or fruit set, and then scream for attention. For example, consider Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum), which one of my favorite native wildflowers, frequenting...
This past week was National Pollinator Week, a time set aside to celebrate the amazing and monumental task that pollinators perform each and every growing season. Worldwide, animals pollinate about seventy-five percent of all plant species, and about ninety percent of all flowering plants....
Nothing beats the light and airy look of tall, distinctive grasses in a landscape arrangement. The fluffy seedheads and slender, and attractive stems practically dance in the wind on breezy days, adding texture as well as a structural element to any landscape bed.
For many years...
