Gardeners are bombarded with sayings like save the stems, leave the leaves, and no mow May. These sayings are rooted in the same goal of protecting pollinators, but often leave gardeners with more questions. Let’s dig into each of the sayings. Save the stems: The first question that often arises from this saying is: “When[Read More…]
Resources for landscapes and gardens in the Midwest
Landscape Report
landscape
Blight, Leafminers, and Moths: The Plight of Boxwoods Boxwoods (Buxus spp.) were introduced into the United States during colonial times, and still today they are one of the most popular evergreen shrubs used in landscapes. They are frequently selected for hedges and topiaries because they are easily trimmed into geometric shapes. They were also easy[Read More…]
Vascular streak dieback is an emerging issue on woody ornamentals in the nursery industry. We have provided information on this topic as the situation has been unfolding (https://www.purduelandscapereport.org/article/vascular-streak-dieback-of-redbud-what-plant-pathologists-know-so-far/; https://indianagreenexpo.com/sessions/vascular-streak-dieback-an-emerging-issue-in-nursery-stock/). Researchers and Collaborators working on vascular streak dieback will be presenting up-to-date information during the tHRIve webinar hosted by Horticultural Research Institute on Thursday, April 11,[Read More…]
I think white pines are beautiful trees, especially at maturity, and they have the added advantage that they are one of the few conifers that don’t try to kill you with their needles. Besides working with the foliage, have you ever had to “rescue” a child who climbed too high in a spike-infested deathtrap of[Read More…]
The Women of the Green Industry will be offering two, free educational opportunities on November 7th and December 5th on Zoom: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/95932197520?pwd=KysxUHFPSzZiOTlwcmFZU3hUSXFpZz09 November 7th will feature Karen Mitchell, Purdue Consumer Horticulture Specialist, to present ‘The Social Side of Seeds: Growing Your Community’ December 5th will feature Pedra Sage, owner of Sage Garden Designs, who[Read More…]
Mites are eight-legged arthropods who pierce plant cells to feed on them. Plants that are attacked by mites lose their green color and appear somewhat bronzed. Spider mites will make webs to help them forage on leaves unencumbered by irregular leaf surfaces. The accumulation of webs, and old skins of mites can give heavily infested[Read More…]
Dead man’s fingers is an apt moniker for a gruesome-looking fungus (Xylaria polymorpha and related species) that produces club-shaped fungal fruiting bodies that appear as fingers growing around the base of dying or dead woody plants and even wooden objects in soil (Fig. 1). With more than 25 species of Xylaria, generalizations are difficult to[Read More…]
Many trees are planted for their beautiful fall color, especially in locations where the climate provides reliable autumn weather. I have said this multiple times during extension talks and conversations with submitters to the PPDL, but I seem to have not experienced a ‘normal’ fall since moving to Indiana with how erratic the weather has[Read More…]
When I was a kid, if you’d asked me what my favorite season was it would always immediately be summer. No school, time for playing outdoors, swimming, hiking, and late nights playing flashlight tag. Now, if I ranked the seasons from worst to best, they’d be Summer in last, followed by Winter (yes, I choose[Read More…]
Wet summer weather always brings in a surplus of plant diseases, but few are as dramatic as clematis blight, caused by the fungus now called Calophoma clematidina (formerly Ascochyta or Phoma clematidina) (Fig. 1). The rest of us simply call it clematis blight or clematis wilt. Why the confusion with both the common and Latin[Read More…]
Trees stressed by prolonged drought are more subject to attack by boring insects. This article provides tips and a video link on how to manage pines for borers. Record breaking heat and sporadic rainfall during July of 2023 took their toll on landscape trees. Cone bearing evergreens, like white pines, are especially susceptible to drought[Read More…]
This series will highlight unique and interesting landscape plants that are not as common in the landscape. Many of these plants aren’t readily available at your local nursery or garden center. If you are interested in purchasing one of these plants, I recommend contacting your local nursery or garden center about availability. Japanese Painted[Read More…]
This series will highlight unique and interesting landscape plants that are not as common in the landscape. Many of these plants aren’t readily available at your local nursery or garden center. If you are interested in purchasing one of these plants, I recommend contacting your local nursery or garden center about availability. Majestic Beauty Tuliptree[Read More…]
Remember the pre-Christmas freeze? What about the extremely long fall? The Midwest experienced above-average temperatures through most of the winter, but those extremely cold temps in late December made for more than a few pipes to freeze in the southern part of the Midwest. The dichotomy in weather patterns over the last several years has[Read More…]
The Indiana Green Expo is Indiana’s largest and most comprehensive Green Industry educational conference and trade show serving Indiana and the Midwest. The 2023 Indiana Green Expo (IGE) is sponsored by the Indiana Nursery & Landscape Association and the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation. Unlike some for-profit trade shows, all proceeds from the IGE are used directly to[Read More…]
When transplanting trees, it is important to consider the long-term viability. Since the typical life span of an urban tree is 7-20 years (USDA), proper establishment techniques are very important to decrease this mortality rate. When a tree becomes established, it is much more difficult to correct below ground problems. Root deformations can occur for[Read More…]
Biology: Pineapple weed (Matricaria matricariodies), behaves as either a summer or winter annual and it is commonly found throughout the United States. It is a weed of both high- and low-maintenance turfgrass lawns, landscapes, and nursery crops. Its ability to tolerate low mowing heights and highly compacted soils allow pineapple weed to compete with in weak[Read More…]
Depending on where you are located in the Midwest, rainfall in 2021 has either been too much or too little. This trend was forecasted several years ago by climatologists, in that more droughts and more floods are projected as the ramifications of climate change take shape in the future. Though this statement doesn’t make logical[Read More…]
Phytotoxicity is damage to plants caused by chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides. Phytotoxicity can be a positive (killing weeds) or a negative (damage from pesticides on ornamental plants), depending on the intended results. Some of the common phytotoxic effects can show symptoms such as stunting of leaves and whole plant, necrosis (death), chlorosis (yellowing), abnormal growth[Read More…]
Diagnosing herbicide injury on ornamental plants can be difficult due to the sheer number of cultivated plants and the number of active ingredients used around ornamentals. Modern cultivars of ornamental plants include characteristics much different from the species, so it’s important to know ‘normal’ to properly diagnose a problem. There are several reasons that herbicide[Read More…]
Sign-up to receive email news and alerts from Purdue Landscape Working Group:
