Latest Horticulture News
Warmer temperatures mean that Wisconsinites are spending a lot more time enjoying the outdoors with activities such as gardening, hiking, picnicking, and camping. However, spring also happens to be a season of peak tick activity in the Midwest. Ticks may be small but can have big health impacts as they carry diseases such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and others.
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.
As lawns wake up from winter and start greening up, many of us are seeing spots where the grass has died over the winter. To repair larger areas of damaged grass, it is best to work up the soil and re-seed.
Check out Horticulture News Posts from earlier in the season!
Timely Articles for Spring Gardens
This article provides practical tips on growing plants in containers. With a few tips, growing plants in containers can be easy!
This publication covers winter burn, a common problem of evergreens including those with broad leaves (e.g., boxwood, holly, rhododendron), needles (e.g., fir, hemlock, pine, spruce, yew) and scale-like leaves (e.g., arborvitae, false cypress, juniper) grown in open, unprotected locations and exposed to severe winter conditions.
Fungus gnats (Family Sciaridae) are insects commonly associated with overwatered houseplants. They can become a nuisance when they are present in large numbers and fly around inside a home. In most situations, fungus gnats are a cosmetic problem. However, on occasion, fungus gnat larvae can cause plant damage.
Barb Larson Revised: 6/6/2009 Item number: XHT1158 Cold frames and hot beds, hoop houses, cloches, and floating row covers allow gardeners to grow plants earlier in spring and later in fall. Although these structures are used primarily for growing vegetables, they may be used for growing ornamentals, including flowering plants, as well. Cold frames: Cold […]
Producing high quality apples in home gardens can be challenging due to damage caused by insects and fungal diseases. Insects and wind-borne fungal spores cause damage when contacting developing fruit. An effective way to produce high-quality fruit organically, without the need for spraying, is placing developing fruit in bags. This factsheet describes the process.
The blueberry is a wonderful fruit rich in vitamin C, dietary fiber, and vitamin E. Due to its popularity, there is a growing interest among gardeners to plant blueberries in backyard gardens.
Barb Larson, UW-Extension Kenosha County and Sharon Morrisey, UW-Extension Milwaukee County Revised: 12/27/2011 Item number: XHT1147 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. For details on specific activities […]
Laura Jull, UW-Madison Horticulture, UW-Extension Revised: 8/13/2012 Item number: XHT1013 Why prune? Pruning is important for a variety of reasons. Pruning can help control the size of an evergreen, direct growth, or maintain plant health and appearance. Pruning can also increase the safety of an evergreen by removing broken, diseased, dead, or dying branches. In […]
Starting your garden from seeds might be easier than you think. Check out this article to get practical tips on starting your plants from seeds.
H.C. Harrison Revised: 10/20/2011 Item number: A3383 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. Download Article
Laura G. Jull Revised: 5/25/2010 Item number: A3727 If deer visit your property, you’ve likely already experienced the frustration of having landscape plants destroyed overnight. Before planting (or replanting), check out this list of trees, shrubs, flowers, herbs, and grasses that deer tend to avoid. Download Article
Laura Jull, UW-Madison Horticulture, UW-Extension Revised: 8/13/2012 Item number: A3871 “How long will my plants survive with their roots under water?” This publication will help you answer that question. Download Article
