Q. Can you tell me what kind of tree this is? They were planted near our community lake 25 years ago. K.M., Indianapolis A. This is a honey locust tree, known botanically as Gleditsia triacanthos. The species is native to the eastern US. It has large seed pods and trunks that are armed with wicked thorns. Fortunately, most plants sold for landscape specimens are cultivars that are both seedless and thornless. But even these improved […]
Q: I have had a garden on our property for about 14 years. Naturally, we’ve always had to deal with weeds, but until last year they had been the usual crabgrass and other types that could be controlled if you kept ahead of them. But last year, some type of weed or ground cover has sprung up, and it’s infuriating!! There is absolutely no way to weed it out by hand because it comes up almost […]
Want to know more about common yard and garden plants? Meet the new Purdue Plant ID Pal. The web-based resource is easy to use. 4-H and FFA youth will find it especially helpful as they learn to identify ornamentals, fruits, and vegetables for local, state and national competitions. Purdue Plant ID Pal has four sections: ornamentals (woody plants) flowers and indoor plants fruits and nuts vegetables You’ll find more than 850 photos of nearly 200 […]
Q: I am writing about a pussy willow tree I planted in my backyard in early August 2018. I have wanted one for some time and found one on sale at a discount department store. It didn’t have much info on what it takes to grow by ponds or lakes. So, if you could give me any information, it would be appreciated. A: A number of willow shrub species are commonly called pussy willows, so […]
Q: We have 5.5 acres with several hundred white pines, 7 blue spruce, and 2 red pines. Several of the blue spruce are dying. Several years ago, two started dying from the bottom up. We put evergreen spikes around them, and after a year or so they came back to normal. Presently some of the large ones are now dying from the bottom to the top. We put spikes around two large and one small, […]
Q. I saw these holes in my tree and am wondering what they are from. This tree is the only one I have seen them on. – M.S., Chesterton Some species of woodpeckers cause large holes in tree trunks. A. The holes are likely from woodpecker injury, but the tree may have some other issues. Has the tree been in a state of decline for a while? Perhaps branch dieback, leaf drop or other symptoms? […]