Rosie Lerner

rosie@purdue.edu

716 articles by this author

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The Purple Landscape

Trees and shrubs with colorful foliage can add a steady supply of interest in the landscape throughout the growing season. Purple foliage is quite popular among plant breeders and garden enthusiasts.  Here’s a look at some possibilities to consider. Small to Medium Trees Japanese Maple – There are many cultivars available in the trade. Some have purple foliage all summer while others may be purple only in spring and/or autumn. Redbud “Forest Pansy” – This…Read more about The Purple Landscape[Read More]

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Warm, wet conditions prime for algae

Q. For the last few years we have noticed some green blobs on our gravel drive. It only grows in size when it rains and dries up and turns black when the weather is sunny. It looks like turkey droppings and feels like jelly when wet. It is very unsightly and gets tracked into the house. We never saw this stuff until the last few years and only on limestone gravel. It seems to grow…Read more about Warm, wet conditions prime for algae[Read More]

Gardening for Pollinators

Pollinators are all the “buzz” these days with a federal proclamation designating June 15-21 as National Pollinator Week. Now in its eighth year, the focus of this event is to promote the health of pollinators, so critical to food and ecosystems. It may surprise you to learn that the honeybee is native to Europe and was introduced to the US. But there are also numerous other pollinator species including native bees, butterflies and moths, beetles,…Read more about Gardening for Pollinators[Read More]

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Leaf galls common to oak trees

Q. We have a pin oak tree that is approximately 30 feet tall. On the north-facing side of the tree there are many wilted leaves, and there are many balls of strange growth. Pictures of the leaves and the balls are attached. Can you help to identify the problem and any solutions that we need to pursue? – M&L W, Indianapolis A. My best guess is one of the many leaf galls common to oak…Read more about Leaf galls common to oak trees[Read More]

Some Shrubs Best Pruned After Flowering

Although late winter is generally the ideal time for pruning chores, many of our spring-blooming shrubs are best pruned immediately after flowers have faded. Trees and shrubs that bloom in early spring, such as forsythia, lilac, honeysuckle, quince and spirea, set their flower buds the previous fall, referred to as “flowering on old wood.” If you prune in late winter, some or all of the bloom potential for spring is sacrificed. By waiting until after…Read more about Some Shrubs Best Pruned After Flowering[Read More]

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Some Shrubs Best Pruned After Flowering

Although late winter is generally the ideal time for pruning chores, many of our spring-blooming shrubs are best pruned immediately after flowers have faded. Trees and shrubs that bloom in early spring, such as forsythia, lilac, honeysuckle, quince and spirea, set their flower buds the previous fall, referred to as “flowering on old wood.” If you prune in late winter, some or all of the bloom potential for spring is sacrificed. By waiting until after…Read more about Some Shrubs Best Pruned After Flowering[Read More]

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Ugly scale on hollyhocks could be fungal rust

Q. The last three years I have had scale on my hollyhocks. They just start to bloom, and the scale appears and they die. Is there something I can use to get rid of the scale? After they start to die, I clean up everything and burn. – I.T., Paoli, Indiana. A. I wonder if you might be referring to hollyhock rust, a fungal disease that commonly affects hollyhocks. The rust-colored blotches can resemble scale…Read more about Ugly scale on hollyhocks could be fungal rust[Read More]

2015 Is the Year of the Sweet Pepper

The National Garden Bureau has declared 2015 to be the Year of the Sweet Pepper! Sweet bell peppers are cultivars of Capsicum annuum. Sweet peppers are called sweet because they lack the gene that produces capsaicin—the chemical that gives hot peppers their heat. Pepper plants are easy to grow, and are quite compact making them a good fit for limited-space gardens and containers. Peppers are warm-season crops and should be planted out in the garden…Read more about 2015 Is the Year of the Sweet Pepper[Read More]

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Hops need good management through growing season

Q.  I need information on how to manage hops from the ground up and when and how to do what. Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated, such as when to dig rhizomes, prune, storage, etc. A. Hops for production require good management through pruning, training and fertilizing and through a fairly long growing season of 120 frost-free days. Note that there are some varieties of hops that are ornamental rather than for hop…Read more about Hops need good management through growing season[Read More]

New Kalettes Are Cool!

It’s not often that a new vegetable comes along, so I’m really looking forward to trying the new Kalettes this year. Developed in Great Britain, where they are called Flower Sprouts, this new vegetable is a hybrid cross between Brussel sprouts and kale. The result is beautiful. They resemble miniature, ornamental kale rosettes with purple highlights on dark green, leafy buds growing in the leaf axils along the stem – just like Brussel sprouts. Kalettes…Read more about New Kalettes Are Cool![Read More]

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