We have had some good weather to begin or continue our fall clean efforts in the home landscape and days where it has been too cold and rainy to get out in the yard as we have wanted. Those days have allowed us to look out the patio window and see what else will need to be done before the "snow...
There are some good stories out there why fall color happens with credits to the changing temperatures, and a hot summer and wet fall, and the best one "Jack Frost". There clearly is some truth to changing temperatures and adequate moisture, but Mr. Frost has little to do with the fall colors we...
What do Squirrels, Raccoons and Skunks have in common this time of year? They all love to mess with our lawns right now. Squirrels have been foraging for food that can be stored for the winter in the landscape and part of that activity is burying seeds of all kinds from our trees and shrubs in the...
Many homeowners know about the Emerald Ash Borer and the vast amount of destruction to our ash tree population and likely the millions of dollars being spent to treat, remove dead trees and the replacement trees.
Now we have another invasive pest, the "Jumping Worm". Jumping worms are native to...
Caterpillars are frequently collected by students for science classes, parents to show their little ones the amazing change from caterpillar to butterfly or moth. It is how they are handled after being collected that makes the difference in how successful your project is.
Most of our caterpillars...
Let's start with a few confusing sentences this week. You plant spring flowering bulbs in the fall and summer flowering bulbs in the spring. You dig up summer bulbs in the fall. You divide spring bulbs in late summer.
Your favorite spring bulbs are winter hardy and for them to bloom in the spring...
Seems like summer took so long to get here with weather that was enjoyable and now those unspoken words have begun to enter our everyday lives, heard on the TV, references to it on the radio, thinking about ordering hot chocolate or hot cider instead of coffee, farm stands offering more than just...
Recent cool weather and the temperatures especially at night are beginning to trigger changes in our home landscape and vegetable gardens.
There has been a little bit of fall color beginning on some shade trees, mostly red maple cultivars and some on burning bush. It will be our cool nights and...
August usually means lots of hot dry weather. During last week we had at least one "rain event" that was pretty substantial. Some readers had several inches of rain in fact. Things we can do and see while we are waiting for things to dry out are:
Lawns
Clean the air filter on...
August brings some unique questions to the Master Gardener help desk. Here are some that have been fun to answer:
I planted my garden sweet corn next to a corn field next door and now my sweet corn isn't so sweet, what is happening? Unlike other vegetables that get cross...
