Articles
Gardening Articles
Research-based horticulture information to help keep your plants and gardens thriving.
Spider flower, Cleome hassleriana
Spider flower is fast growing, self-seeding annual with delicate and airy flowers in showy, exotic looking heads of pink, white or purple. These eye-catching plants provide a splash of color from summer through frost when planted in mass or as a backdrop for shorter companions in the annual or mixed garden. Learn more about this cottage garden favorite in this article…
Cardinal Climber, Ipomoea sloteri
Looking for a vigorous annual vine to quickly cover a trellis, fence or arbor? Cardinal climber offers attractive, ferny foliage and bright red flowers later in the season which are very attractive to hummingbirds. Learn more about this heirloom ornamental with few pests and little maintenance requirements in this article…
Common foxglove, Digitalis purpurea
With tall, showy spikes of tubular pink or purple flowers with speckled throats, common foxglove is a common addition to informal gardens for vertical interest. This biennial from Western Europe forms a rosette of leaves the first year and blooms in the second year. Learn more about Digitalis purpurea – the original source of the heart medicine digitoxin – but also considered an invasive weed in many places…
Damsel Bugs, Family Nabidae
You likely have some beneficial predators in your garden that you’ve never paid attention to. Damsel bugs are slender, tan-colored bugs that look a lot like assassin bugs or other plant bugs that feed on plants. But all of the damsel bugs, or nabid bugs in the Family Nabidae, are predators. To learn more about this good guy that eat aphids, caterpillars and more, read this article…
Amazing Flowers
Everyone has a vision of what a “flower” looks like, but plant flowers are extremely variable and come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and configurations. Take a virtual tour of a dozen weird and wonderful flowers, each from a different plant family, and learn about some of their interesting characteristics, pollinators, or uses. No daisies here…
Lemon-scented Plants
If you want to add some lemon zest to your garden, but can’t grow a lemon tree, consider trying some lemon-scented herbs or other plants. This article covers plants that have scents suggesting lemons.
Virginia waterleaf, Hydrophyllum virginianum
With attractive flowers and foliage, Virginia waterleaf is an herbaceous perennial of moist deciduous forests that blooms a little later than most spring-blooming wildflowers in woodlands. The common name comes from the variable markings on the leaves which resemble water spots. Learn more about this native plant in this article…
Serviceberry, Amelanchier spp.
If you’re looking for a small tree with attractive white blossoms in spring and small fruits that can be food for animals or humans, consider one of several species of serviceberry. To learn more, read this article…
Sawflies
Sawflies are a group insects related to wasps. The plant-feeding larvae often look like caterpillars or slugs, and large numbers cause noticeable defoliation on their hosts. Learn more about sawflies in this article…
Grow Your Own Salad Greens
Nothing tastes quite like a salad fresh from your own garden. Lettuce, and many other salad greens, are very easy to grow. Learn more about growing salad greens in a home garden or container in this article…
Butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosa
The Perennial Plant Association’s Perennial of the Year 2017 is butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosa. This native milkweed offers brilliant orange flowers attractive to a wide range of butterflies and other insects and is a host for monarch butterfly caterpillars. Learn more about this tough, long-lived herbaceous perennial that makes a great addition to many types of gardens in this article…
Hot-Water Seed Treatment for Disease Management
Growing vegetables from seed is common for many home gardeners, but seed can sometimes be contaminated with disease-causing organisms. Learn about hot water seed treatment to reduce pathogens in this guide.
