

Asian Bush Honeysuckle
Regrettably, most of the wood edge, understory and blocking roadside shrubbery you see in the Midwest is Asian Bush Honeysuckle (ABH)....
May 1, 2020


EARTH DAY - Golden Anniversity
What were you doing April 22, 1970? It was a perfect spring day in my south-central Illinois hometown. I was a high school senior, the...
Apr 1, 2020


Would That It Were That Simple
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map was originally compiled at the Arnold Arboretum, first published in 1938 and most recently updated (for...
Mar 1, 2020


Farmer's Almanac Predictions
The Old Farmer's Almanac claims its "weather" predictions are 80 percent accurate--using a secret formula created back about 1800, and...
Feb 1, 2020


Hangin' On
Perhaps you have noticed the seasonally abnormal appearance of many Oriental maples (AKA Japanese maples). I am referring to the...
Jan 1, 2020


Season of Giving - Earth Pigs
Like many people, I enjoy giving; but like some, I find it uncomfortable receiving. The discomfort for me has always been tied to...
Dec 1, 2019


Misinformed & Bad Choice
(1) All woody species (vines, shrubs & trees) are indeterminate growers (i.e., they do not stop growing {getting bigger} unless dormant,...
Nov 1, 2019


Blue Spruce & Needle Cast
One of the most glaring home landscape issues in the Midwest is the prevalence of declining and dead Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea...
Oct 1, 2019


Gardening - Who Cares?
I was hesitant when considering a job offer at the Indiana State Museum back in 1987 which would require me to move from Champaign/Urbana...
Sep 1, 2019


Scalped Lawns
Mid summer is when one starts to see more scalped lawns, or lawns that are habitually cut too low and begin turning brown. I will...
Aug 1, 2019