The following news stories are written by Rosie Lerner, Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist, and are distributed to news media around the state by Agricultural Communication Service, at Purdue University.
If you’d like to have a few more of those prized lilac shrubs in your yard, now’s the time to put your green thumb to work. Many ornamental shrubs and trees easily can be propagated by stem cuttings. Cuttings taken from the succulent, new growth that occurred this spring also are referred to as softwood cuttings. These cuttings usually root easier and faster than cuttings taken from harder wood later in the season. However, softwood […]
If you’re itching to get outdoors and work on your garden, now is a good time to survey your landscape and decide what needs pruning. But keep in mind that not all plants need to be trimmed. Landscape plants should be pruned to maintain or reduce their size; to remove undesirable growth; to remove dead or damaged branches; and to rejuvenate older plants to produce more vigorous foliage, flowers and fruits. In some cases, pruning […]
Deicing salts can save your neck this winter, but they can spell disaster for landscape plants. Whether the salt is sprayed on the plants from passing traffic near the road or is shoveled onto plants near the sidewalk, the salt can cause damage. Salts can adversely affect plants in several ways. Salts deposited on the surface of twigs, branches, and evergreen leaves can cause excessive drying of foliage and roots. They can be taken up […]
Though your aching back may not agree, recent heavy snows actually will be good for your garden and landscape. Snow provides moisture as well as protection from cold and wind. Snow is an excellent insulator against low temperatures and excessive winds. The extent of protection depends on the depth of snow. Generally, the temperature below the snow increases by about 2 degrees F for each inch of accumulation. In addition, the soil gives off some […]
The Perennial Plant Association has selected Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii “Goldsturm” as its 1999 Perennial Plant of the Year. Members of the association, made up primarily of professional plant growers, each year select a perennial, which is used to educate the gardening public and to promote the planting of perennial flowers. Goldsturm is a popular and reliable perennial that is widely planted throughout the world. Its bright yellow, “black-eyed-Susan” type blooms provide spectacular show from […]
Are your bulbs bursting? The recent warm spell may just stick around long enough to trick your bulbs–and perhaps a few other plants–into thinking it’s spring. This is the time of year when we normally expect temperatures to be cold enough to signal the hardening-off period to plants. And until quite recently, we were cold enough to start that process. Now, as the temperatures have been in the 50s and 60s for a while, some […]
Eleven new garden plants have been awarded the prestigious honor of being an All America Selection (AAS) for 1999. These new cultivars have been judged as superior in their class based on their performance in test gardens all over the country. For the flower garden, the first award winner is Begonia ‘Pin-Up Flame,’ selected for its distinctive colored petals. Although it is a single-flowered type, the yellow petals are quite large and striking with orange-red […]
Many of us gardeners have mixed feelings about this time of year: sad to see another garden year draw to a close, but at the same time relieved to get a break from the chores of weeding, watering, pruning and more weeding. But before you hibernate, there are still a few more chores to take care of outdoors. Winter mulch isn’t necessary for all garden plants, but it can mean survival for some less hardy […]
While gourds are often a part of today’s Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations, they date back to 2200 B.C., making them among the oldest cultivated plants in history. Since the times of the Egyptian tombs, their shells have been used as dippers or containers for grain storage; other types are edible when young and tender. The term “gourd” is most correctly applied to the hard-shelled members of the vine crops known as cucurbits and includes plants […]
Dry summers are not that unusual in the Midwest, but this year’s weather pattern was a bit unusual in that much of the state experienced above normal precipitation in spring and early summer. But most areas found the flow of water shut off in mid to late summer. Many plants will be displaying their fall colors and dropping leaves in the next few weeks, but this is a critical time for plants to rehydrate themselves […]