The poinsettia, the most popular holiday plant, is best known as the plant with bright red flowers on a green background. But, the showiest part of the poinsettia is the group of colorful specialized leaves called floral bracts that surround the small, yellowish-green structures that are the true flowers, said Michael N. Dana and B. […]

As trees in our urban and suburban landscapes prepare for winter dormancy and cold, theycould use a little extra care from you to ensure a good start in the spring. As the seasons change, trees prepare to overwinter in a dormant state. Dormancy is not death; it is a natural state inwhich trees prepare and

Looking for a fun gardening project for chasing away your winter blues? Why not try growing Stevia in your windowsill garden. It may not be the most ornamental of plants, but hopefully will present a sweet reward for your efforts. Stevia rebaudiana, also known as sweetleaf and sugarleaf, is a low-growing, tender, perennial herb grown

Most gardeners don’t think about burying their roses, but that’s essentially what they should do to protect them from winter’s extremes. Similar to hibernation in animals, roses and other woody plants go through a dormant (rest) period in the winter. The first step to winterizing roses is to keep them healthy through the growing season.

Perhaps the last garden chore of the season is tucking in the strawberry planting for winter. Strawberry plants have already set their buds for next spring’s flowers and the crop can be lost unless you protect them from harsh winter conditions. A fully dormant strawberry plant’s flower buds can be damaged at temperatures below 15

Evergreen needles don’t last forever, and some trees lose their needles every single year! If you have conifers in your landscape, I hope this information may save you from unnecessary alarm. Dr. Rosie Lerner, the retired consumer horticulture specialist at Purdue University, wrote about this phenomenon. “Evergreens provide green color all year long, but that

Seeds are one of the most interesting parts of the plant world because packed into what is sometimes just the size of a dust speck is the potential for an entire plant. They are abundant this time of year on many of our garden and landscape plants – in fruits, faded flowers, or pods.  There

Holiday cacti are short-day plants, meaning they will begin blooming as nights get longer and days get shorter. To initiate blooming, plants need to have at least 12 hours of continuous darkness for 5-6 weeks. Flower buds will not be set if the darkness is interrupted for too long (2+ hours). Once the flower buds

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