Choosing the Right Christmas Tree

Christmas trees offer consumers a chance to bring nature indoors for a few weeks each December. Whether you choose a pre-cut tree available at a local tree lot or garden center or cut your own tree from a farm, you will have several tree species to choose from.

▶ Watch: Biology and Management of Canada Thistle, Bishop’s Goutweed, and Creeping Bellflower

Learn about the biology and management of three common creeping perennials that can invade lawns and gardens in Wisconsin: Canada thistle, Bishop’s goutweed and creeping bellflower.

Vegetable Disease Quick Reference

This fact sheet provided a list of 10 relatively easy to identify plant diseases.

Silver Leaf

Silver leaf is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of deciduous trees. It has the biggest impact on fruit trees such as apple, pear and cherry, but can also affect ornamental trees.

Powdery Scab

Powdery scab is a potentially serious disease of potatoes that occurs worldwide in regions where potatoes are grown, including Wisconsin. Powdery scab primarily causes cosmetic, unsightly skin blemishes of potato tubers.

Red Star Rust

Red star rust (also known as Japanese apple rust or lipstick rust) is a type of Gymnosporangium rust. This plant disease is particularly concerning because of its potential negative impact in commercial apple production.

Tizón Tardío (Late Blight)

El tizón tardío es una enfermedad destructiva de los tomates y de las papas que puede matar a las plantas maduras y causar que los frutos del tomate y los tubérculos de la papa no sean comestibles.

Asters, Symphyotrichum spp.

Asters are herbaceous perennial plants bloom late in the year, with daisy-like flowers in shades of lavender, blue, pink, purple and white.

Tree Species Recommended for Fall Planting

This article contains a compilation of tree species recommended for fall planting vs. waiting until spring.

Elm Zigzag Sawfly

The elm zigzag sawfly is an invasive sawfly that attacks elm trees. Populations were detected in Wisconsin for the first time in July 2024 and were quickly found in several counties across the state. In many cases, damage may be minor, but this invasive pest does have the potential to cause significant defoliation of elm trees.