Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Recently, I've had several people send me pictures asking, "What is this beautiful plant with purple berries?" My answer each time was beautyberry. The beautyberry (Callicarpa sp.) has show-stopping purple fruit in the fall. In fact...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator When it comes to pollination, honey bees get a majority of the attention. However, many insects play a role in pollination. What is Pollination? Pollination occurs when pollen grains move between two flowers of the same species, or...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator I recently planted several black aronia along a new fence in my backyard. Also called chokeberry, aronia are becoming more and more popular, especially among small fruit growers. There are several reasons why I selected the black...

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator If you look at ferns, mosses, lichens, and club moss closely, they look like something right out of a fairytale. In fact, these non-flowering plants do have their very own kingdom in the plant world. Instead of reproducing by flowers...