Many areas around the Midwest continue to creep towards an increasing drought situation (Fig. 1). Currently almost 80% of the Midwest is listed as being abnormally dry to exceptional drought (Fig. 2). Current soil moisture data indicates that most of the Midwest is very dry (Fig. 3). Going into the fall it’s very important…Read more about Drought Spreading Throughout Much of the Midwest[Read More]
Resources for landscapes and gardens in the Midwest
Landscape Report
Trees, Shrubs, Vines
Many trees are planted for their beautiful fall color, especially in locations where the climate provides reliable autumn weather. I have said this multiple times during extension talks and conversations with submitters to the PPDL, but I seem to have not experienced a ‘normal’ fall since moving to Indiana with how erratic the weather has…Read more about Early Fall Color – A Symptom of Stress[Read More]
When I was a kid, if you’d asked me what my favorite season was it would always immediately be summer. No school, time for playing outdoors, swimming, hiking, and late nights playing flashlight tag. Now, if I ranked the seasons from worst to best, they’d be Summer in last, followed by Winter (yes, I choose…Read more about Can I Plant Trees in the Fall?[Read More]
Stop me if you’ve heard this one…. A tree is in a slow decline year after year. You are called to your client’s property only to find the root flare well below grade. Most professionals in the Green Industry have encountered this at some point in their career. The most common reason for the slow…Read more about Another Case of Mortality from Planting Trees Too Deep[Read More]
Trees stressed by prolonged drought are more subject to attack by boring insects. This article provides tips and a video link on how to manage pines for borers. Record breaking heat and sporadic rainfall during July of 2023 took their toll on landscape trees. Cone bearing evergreens, like white pines, are especially susceptible to drought…Read more about Beat Back Borers Attacking Pines and other Cone Bearing Trees[Read More]
Despite the sublime name, tree-of-heaven, Ailanthus altissima, is a particularly bad actor when it comes to trees encountered in the Midwest. This native of Asia was introduced to North America more than 150 years ago and has since become a widespread invasive pest. Rapid growth, extremely high seed production (hundreds of thousands from a mature…Read more about Tree-of-Heaven is not so Heavenly[Read More]
I have lost count of the number of times I’ve witnessed people working with chainsaws in shorts, a tank top, and flip flops with maybe a pair of earbuds, and it makes me cringe every time. According to the CDC, over 36,000 chainsaw-related injuries a year are reported with annual medical costs of more than…Read more about Chainsaw Safety, PPE[Read More]
Some of the questions that I get asked quite frequently are “Are my trees ok?”, “Do I need to have an arborist come work on my trees?”, and “Is there anything I can do to help my trees without hurting my savings?”. Just like many questions, the answers are dependent on the situation. There are…Read more about Can I Prune Like the Pros?[Read More]
This series will highlight unique and interesting landscape plants that are not as common in the landscape. Many of these plants aren’t readily available at your local nursery or garden center. If you are interested in purchasing one of these plants, I recommend contacting your local nursery or garden center about availability. Majestic Beauty Tuliptree…Read more about Plant Picks: Majestic Beauty Tuliptree[Read More]
It’s that wonderful time of year again where temps are rising, life is coming back into the landscape, and people are thinking about how to improve the urban canopy around them. Well, maybe not that specifically, but we have the urge to plant trees. Whether it’s for Earth Day or Arbor Day or you just…Read more about Re-mulch Your Trees[Read More]
There have been a number of samples we have received at the PPDL in recent weeks that bear similar problems worth noting. It is still relatively early for significant in-season disease development due to how cold it has been, although we have certainly had enough rainfall to encourage fungal growth. We have received multiple samples…Read more about Early Season Samples: Spruce Needle Loss and Boxwood Leaf Spots[Read More]
Two short YouTube videos demonstrate how English and Spanish speakers can use the Purdue Plant Doctor Website. Diagnosing Plant Problems with the Purdue Plant Doctor Web Page (5 minutes -in English with closed captions) Guia Rapida Diagnosticar y Manejar Problemas de las Plantas con Purdue Plant Doctor ( 9 minutes in Spanish with closed…Read more about Short YouTube Videos Help English and Spanish Speakers Improve Plant Health and Client Communication with the Purdue Plant Doctor Web Page.[Read More]
Remember the pre-Christmas freeze? What about the extremely long fall? The Midwest experienced above-average temperatures through most of the winter, but those extremely cold temps in late December made for more than a few pipes to freeze in the southern part of the Midwest. The dichotomy in weather patterns over the last several years has…Read more about Cold Injury During a Very Mild Winter?[Read More]
All plants can fall victim to insects, diseases, and environmental problems. How they respond to this stress is often the same: Wilting, yellowing, holes, rots, blight—it’s a long list! With so much overlap in symptoms, it can be quite a challenge for people to identify their plant health problems accurately, quickly, and inexpensively. The Purdue…Read more about Plant Problems? There’s a mobile-friendly website for that![Read More]
Lilacs (Syringa spp.) are some of my favorite plants alongside Ginkgo (males, at least) and while I could wax poetic about their great aesthetic characteristics I will just say that they have beautiful spring flowers and they smell great, too. However, they do have a handful of problems that cause them to look a little…Read more about Lamentable Lilac Leaf diseases[Read More]
When transplanting trees, it is important to consider the long-term viability. Since the typical life span of an urban tree is 7-20 years (USDA), proper establishment techniques are very important to decrease this mortality rate. When a tree becomes established, it is much more difficult to correct below ground problems. Root deformations can occur for…Read more about Using Pneumatic Digging Equipment to Correct Root Deformations, Deep Planting, and Compaction on Established Trees[Read More]
About ten years ago I was listening to a talk by a climatologist. She indicated that data is trending towards more floods and more droughts in the Midwest. At first listen this made absolutely no sense. How can a place simultaneously have more flooding and more drought? Well, if you’ve paid attention over the last…Read more about The Annual Drought Article[Read More]
Join us at the Purdue Turf and Landscape Field Day on July 26th! The Purdue Turf and Landscape Field Day is an annual one-day event with the objective of providing professional turf and landscape managers exposure and educational opportunities with the latest research and technical resources. The Field Day features research tours, talks on current…Read more about Purdue Turf and Landscape Field Day[Read More]
Arborvitae (Thuja spp.) fulfill several crucial roles in the landscape, especially windbreaks and screens (Fig. 1). Their relatively fast growth habit, wide variety of available forms, and inexpensive price point make them one of the most common conifers in the Midwest landscape. Due to the ubiquitous use of arborvitae, and their perceived problems, the Green…Read more about Stop Making These Arborvitae Mistakes! Common transplant problems of arborvitae.[Read More]
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