May 1

FRINGEtree

I recommend Chionanthus virginicus (American fringetree). Before I divulge why, permit me to provide some background info. First, C....

Apr 1

RESOURCES, with a focus on Soules Garden

Located on the southwest side of Indianapolis, tucked away on Rahke Road, there is a special small garden business. I am referring to...

Mar 1

In Praise of REDBUD

Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) is a fast-growing, undemanding, relatively short-lived (30-50 years) deciduous tree native to eastern...

Feb 1

How Lucky Am I? A Tribute

We meet a lot of people in our life journey. Most of these encounters are fleeting -- because of the circumstances and/or we do not want...

Jan 1

Oriental Maples ?

We all have quirks. One of my mine is that I use the collective descriptor Oriental maples. I do not use Japanese as a catchall for these...

Dec 1, 2022

TRUNKS & STUMPS

There are several ways to deal with the trunk (AKA bole) of a tree. The ways rarely get consideration and several of the options will...

Nov 1, 2022

Trunk Wounds

Other than root damage and the resulting stress, one of the biggest problems associated with transplanting large caliber trees is...

Oct 1, 2022

Gardening Impediments

Gardening impediments are the things (mostly behavioral) which prevent one from being a better gardener, thus having a better garden. I...

Sep 1, 2022

Goldenrod, a Lovely Garden Thug

There are nearly two dozen Solidago species in the Midwest flora and all but one are native -- the exception being the interstate...

Aug 1, 2022

Farmers and Farming

The efforts of plant explorers, plant breeders, and farmers have freed most people from the never-ending and onerous task of gathering...

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Rant of the Month

Unfortunately, most people know very little about plants and gardening, including many "professionals" employed to design, choose, install and maintain landscapes. This page spotlights specific issues with commentary on remedy or recommendation for course of action. Examples are numerous and easy to find, rarely requiring me to travel far from home. Hopefully, these postings will make the task more difficult. I also feature seasonally appropriate topics and focus on species and issues to help educate.

I schedule the new rant to post at one minute after midnight on the first day of each month.

Rant of the Month

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