The cool days of autumn are a great time to get outside and do some garden cleanup. By getting rid of leftover plant debris in flower beds and the vegetable garden, you can reduce the risk of some common problems next year. Several disease-causing bacteria and fungi over winter on plant debris and can cause […]
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Although the outdoor garden may be getting ready for its long winter nap, you can continue to harvest the fresh flavor of herbs by growing a windowsill garden. Many herbs, including dill, parsley, thyme, chives, oregano, and mint, are adaptable to growing indoors in a sunny window. While some of these herbs may grow to
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Every autumn, gardeners gaze at some of their beautiful annuals and wish there was some way to save them. Then, every spring, they wish they didn’t have to spend money on the same plants they just discarded the previous fall. Some annuals can be over-wintered to make a Phoenix-like recovery the next season. Some caveats
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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
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
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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
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The recently launched Purdue Plant Doctor website at purdueplantdoctor.com navigates like a smartphone app and can help growers identify and manage insect pests and diseases of trees, shrubs, and flowers. It will also help growers recognize “good bugs,” those beneficial insects that prey on harmful insect pests or serve as valuable pollinators. Helpful instructional videos
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
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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?
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