

Trunk Wounds
Other than root damage and the resulting stress, one of the biggest problems associated with transplanting large caliber trees is...
Oct 31, 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 30, 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 31, 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...
Jul 31, 2022


Cats and Plants
Despite horrible cat related experiences in my youth, and even though I have a confirmed (although mild) cat allergy, I AM A CAT LOVER....
Jun 30, 2022


US vs THEM, and being objective
Labelling, like native and nonnative, flummoxes me and hamstrings us. On the surface the distinction, essentially us vs them, seems...
May 31, 2022


Leaves of Three
Remember the old adage, leaves of three, let it be OR leaflets three, quickly flee? These proverbs were meant to help identify poison ivy...
Apr 30, 2022


A TALE OF TWO CITIES, and a Dane
I recall loathing my time in Mrs. Sailor's English (Literature) during high school (late 1960s) in south central Illinois. Boy, was I...
Mar 31, 2022


Gold Thread False Cypress - Commonly (Mis)used
Gold thread false cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera) is a Sawara cypress frequently (mis)used in landscaping -- 'Golden Mop' is predominant...
Mar 1, 2022


Witch-hazels
Witch-hazels (the genus Hamamelis) may be my favorite flowering deciduous woody ornamental. I was tempted to say shrub, but witch-hazels...
Feb 1, 2022