Whether you’re looking to expand your planting of iris or just need to rejuvenate an older planting, late summer through early fall is a good time to lift and divide iris. Dividing every three to five years will help rejuvenate the planting, and encourage more blossoms for the subsequent years. Most iris plants spread by […]

Every homeowner wants the nicest and best-looking lawn and to have their neighbors be green with envy. Living in the Midwest for the most part means that we have cool-season grasses to care for and nurture. In our yards, turfgrass is the basis of a beautiful landscape. Keeping our lawns looking their best year-round is

Fall is an excellent time to grow many vegetable crops. During this season the gardener can take advantage of cooler temperatures and more plentiful moisture. Many spring-planted crops such as lettuce and spinach tend to bolt, or produce seed, and become bitterin response to the long, hot summer days. Fall gardening helps extend your gardening

Crabgrass is a summer annual that many homeowners have a difficult time managing. One plant can produce an enormous amount of shoots, and as many as 150,000 seeds. It is no surprise that most lawns have varying degrees of crabgrass, with it seeming to suddenly appear in large amounts. Read more about how you can

After the fall harvest is a great time to plant a cover crop. What is a cover crop? A cover crop is a plant or plants grown to cover the garden soil, and later may be incorporated into the soil as “green manure.” Cover crops have been used mainly by farmers, but home gardeners are

By the end of the growing season, many of our annual plants in the garden are gorgeous to overgrowing! It is hard to watch these prized flowers die after the first frost. Fortunately, some annuals can be propagated from cuttings and brought indoors during the winter. This is a great way to extend their beauty

August is National Tree Check Month: Are your trees safe and secure? When was the last time you really looked at your trees?  It’s all too easy to just enjoy their cool shade and the sound of their leaves, but if you don’t know what to look for you could miss deadly diseases or dastardly demons

People often select plants first for their beauty and second for their functionality in the garden. Frequently, we don’t know or don’t consider a plant’s behavior when we’re selecting them. Almost by definition, a species that is an effective ground cover will have a spreading habit. But does that make the species aggressive or invasive?