Horticulture

Welcome to astronomical winter! Our calendars mark the beginning of winter as December 21 (sometimes the 22) because of where Earth is in its orbit around the sun. Is it too much of a leap to say that gardeners and those who work outdoors are particularly connected to this astronomical event?I have...

During the holiday season, plants often play a central role in our decorations. While poinsettias, ...

Three of my most prized trees are the oaks we planted in our front yard shortly after we moved. They share our front yard with a black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), red twig dogwoods (Cornus sericea), witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis) and apple (Malus spp.) trees. ...

As Thanksgiving approaches, many of us start planning our holiday meals. While turkey,...

As the autumn leaves fall from our trees, the trunk and branching structure become more prominent and visible. This transformation can add new dimensions and interest to a landscape, but it can also draw our attention to tree health challenges we might have overlooked in other seasons. As we...

As the days get shorter and the temperatures get cooler, many species of insects will search for places to spend the winter. Depending on the insect, they may seek out a variety of locations, such as in soil, under leaf litter, under tree bark, or even in our homes. One that we commonly...

The natural process of trees shedding leaves in the fall is the most visible sign of trees preparing for winter dormancy. Shedding leaves is a tree’s way of self-preservation, reducing plant material that require resources that become scarce during the cold days and short daylight of winter.While...

Autumn is a time for…life? This may seem perplexing, as we often link fall with plants dying, wildlife migrating, and us retreating indoors. However, this is when conservationists managing prairies get excited to sow new life.Managing prairies, forests, or wetlands often involves battling nonnative...

Annual geraniums (Pelargonium) are among the most popular flowering plants grown in gardens. These easy-to-grow, low-maintenance plants provide color to landscapes from May until the arrival of frost. After the first hard frost, they are typically destined for the compost pile, but that...

During this first week of October, many of the plants blooming in our landscape are mums, asters, goldenrods, sedums, and ornamental grasses. But what if your lilac is blooming? A lilac blooming in autumn is unusual unless you have planted one of the new varieties bred to bloom once in the spring...