Online Courses: Growing and Caring for Plants in Wisconsin: Foundations in Gardening
Registration for Growing and Caring for Plants in Wisconsin: Foundations in Gardening is now open!
Find out more and register today!
Join us for our FREE webinar series!
These engaging mini-webinars are 30 minutes including Q&A. Mini-webinars are free, but registration is required.
The first six presentations in this series are now online. View them here.
The next series is called Managing Your Yard and Garden Throughout the Growing Season.
and will be live on August 24, August 31 and September 7.
Find out more information on these webinars.
New to Gardening?
Gardening and learning to grow your own food provides many benefits, but we know it can be a bit intimidating when first starting out.
Check out our New Gardener Resources to get your Wisconsin garden started quickly and easily.
Latest Horticulture News
May is a prime time to visit your local greenhouse, nursery or garden center to buy annuals, perennials and vegetables for your home garden. Unfortunately, these plants can be carriers of plant disease-causing organisms. Here are some pointers on what to look for when buying plants.
By: Ann Wied, Horticulture Educator, Waukesha County The Easter lily is a favorite Easter-time/Spring treat. It’s a welcome gift following a long winter. It is often thought of as a symbol of hope and life. Whether you are buying one for yourself or as a gift, the following tips will help you be successful in […]
Here’s some timely tips when caring for your baby plants. For example, if you are growing seedlings under grow-lights, the tops of the seedlings should be about 1” from the fluorescent tubes. Don’t allow the seedlings to grow into the lights as the leaves may burn. Seedlings don’t need to be as close to the lights if you are using LED lights. Lights should be on for about 16 hours a day for most crops.
Check out Horticulture News Posts from earlier in the season!
Timely Articles for Summer Gardens
Scott R. Craven, Phillip J. Pellitteri, Mark J. Renz Revised: 1/15/2010 Item number: G3564 Wisconsin’s bountiful natural resources make it an ideal place for outdoor recreation. Most plants and creatures you encounter won’t hurt you, but timber rattlesnakes, yellow jackets, wild parsnip, and others can be troublesome. This guide will help you recognize, avoid, and […]
Boost your garden’s production with mulches. This publication shows when to use organic mulches, like bark or leaves, and synthetic mulches, like plastic sheets, and teaches how to apply them.
Learn how to make the most of your garden. Features tips for setting up and planting raised beds, including wheelchair access.
The Wisconsin Bee Identification Guide provides information about 13 of the most common bees found in Wisconsin. From the very small Sweat Bee, measuring in at 1/4″ long, to the big Bumble Bee, this guide helps identify many incredibly important pollinators!
Laura Jull, Woody Ornamental Specialist, UW-Extension, UW-Madison Revised: 7/13/2012 Many of our established woody ornamentals can survive periods of prolonged drought. In response to drought conditions, some of our woody ornamentals, both native and exotic, can start the annual fall leaf defoliation a bit early during prolonged drought conditions. Leaves can also turn brown and […]
The following lawn care calendar provides an overview of home lawn maintenance. Not all lawns require every maintenance activity. Be sure to customize the care of your lawn to its specific problems and needs.
Phenology is the study of the cyclical or seasonal nature of animals and plants. This seasonality allows us to predict quite well when an insect will be doing what, and thus, when we might find damage. Some damage that’s apparent right now is from the raspberry cane borer (Oberea perspicillata), a beetle in the family […]
By mid- to late summer the grapevine smothers out the fruit clusters and tends to outgrow beyond its trellis. This leads to poor air circulation around the plant, blocking light penetration and paving the way to fungal diseases like downy mildew and powdery mildew that decimate the fruits. Selective leaf removal around the fruit clusters […]
Making your own compost is an easy, practical, and satisfying way to make use of yard waste and table scraps. With this publication, designed for the home gardener, you’ll be composting like a pro in no time!
A great how-to book for backyard apple growers. Covers everything from planting tips to pruning to disease and insect management strategies.
Late summer in the garden can be a challenge. We turn to two plant experts to discuss how to deal with pests like lily leaf beetle and jumping worms, and diseases like mildew and cedar-apple rust. Listen to this episode.
Mike Maddox, State Master Gardener Program Manager & Darren Lochner, Formerly of the UW-Extension Lower Chippewa River Basin Revised: 2/5/2008 Item number: XHT1157 What is a rain barrel? A rain barrel can be any large container designed to collect rain water. Typically, rain barrels are placed at the bottom of downspouts in order to collect […]
