Spring is a wonderful time to plan trips to the beautiful blooming gardens accessible to citizens around the world. National Geographic’s book Four Seasons of Travel ranked the top 10 gardens around the world, and while I won’t necessarily visit every famous piece of art while traveling abroad, I never miss a spectacular botanical garden…
Native to the U.S. and New England, red pine, Pinus resinosa, populates many areas and has also been widely planted for its aesthetic appeal and to increase diversity of the white pine, Pinus strobus, dominated landscape, adding to soil conservation, wildlife mast and habitat and protecting other species from wind. Recently, however, red pines have,…
The annual bluegrass weevil (ABW) is a pest which, unfortunately, can develop resistance to commonly applied insecticides if and when they are applied too often or incorrectly. Some turf care specialists call this “making them angry”…and you won’t like them when they’re angry. Turning the tide on insecticide resistance can be very difficult, they best…
In research recently published in the journal Plos One, entomologists from the University of Florida postulate the emergence of a “super termite” created from the interbreeding of Asian and Formosan termites. These species of subterranean termites are some of the most destructive in the world, now there is alarming evidence that these species are interbreeding…
Many of us are still dealing with snow on the ground while other areas have already accumulated 1 growing degree day; growing degree days are a heuristic (an efficient problem solving approach employed to find faster, imperfect, yet sufficient solutions) tool for assessing phenology (the study of plant life cycle events and how they are…
Birch trees can be a beautiful and productive asset on many landscapes. However, like most landscape plants, species have varying nutrient, light and moisture requirements and will only thrive on the right site with adequate care. For the most part birch species have interesting and attractive bark colors and textures ranging from pure white to mahogany…
Though we may not be able to fathom a time when the ground is fully thawed and we need to worry about drought, irrigation is fundamental to the health and success of your landscape plants. In ground irrigation systems already in place should be checked for proper functioning and repaired where and if necessary, while…
While it may be nicer to go without knowing this, especially as this bitter winter drags on, apparently spring is getting shorter, by 30 seconds to a minute, each year. According to scientists at the National Weather Service (NWS) and Gavin Schmidt, Director with the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, when the Earth’s axis reaches…
Spring has sprung…or so the calendar says, perhaps it should inform the thermometer. Either way, eventually the thaw will come, mud will abound and we will already be behind schedule with our landscaping and gardening tasks. Here is a quick checklist of things you could aim to accomplish before the season is actually upon us,…
Officials with the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) are puzzled over a seemingly new disease affecting ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa) in the region. They are discouraging culling trees with discolored needles until they can determine the underlying cause of the disease; this may mean waiting until June when the ponderosa pines produce new needles. According…
