How to stock your woodpile without compromising forest health.
Resources for landscapes and gardens in the Midwest
Landscape Report
Found 563 Articles
A new disease called Beech leaf disease (BLD), associated with native and ornamental beech trees (Fagus spp.), has been making its way eastward from Lake Erie. First observed in 2012, trees show dark interveinal leaf banding, deformation of the banding tissue, and leaf curling under increased disease severity. Leaves can be stunted and leathery in…Read more about Beech Leaf Disease: Another worm to worry about[Read More]
Fall is the time of year when many gardeners rush out to buy chrysanthemums by the gallon. Mums line the front of every shop and are great for replacing the fading annuals on the front step (Figure 1). As a perennial, mums have the potential to provide beautiful blooms year after year. However, gardeners may…Read more about Kiss My Aster[Read More]
Learn how to protect Indiana from invasive species at a free workshop. Professor Cliff Sadof of Purdue University and Carrie Tauscher, Arboretum Director of the Crown Hill Heritage Foundation will show you the best way to look for and report invasive species and provide a chance to practice reporting on the Crown Hill Grounds. Whether…Read more about Free Early Pest Detector Workshop[Read More]
Guignardia leaf blotch infects Aesculus species, which include the native plants Ohio buckeye (A. glabra), bottlebrush buckeye (A. parviflora), along with the less common painted buckeye (A. sylvatica) and red (A. pavia) buckeye. The non-native horse-chestnut (A. hippocastanum) is also a susceptible host of this disease (Fig. 1). Symptoms The fungus Guignardia aesculi (pronounced Gwin-yard-ee uh)…Read more about Guignardia Leaf Blotch[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]
Dr. Lee Miller began as an assistant professor of turfgrass pathology in January 2022. Lee previously served in a similar position at the University of Missouri from 2010 – 2021. Lee’s responsibilities include providing disease diagnosis and control recommendations for the lawn, golf, sports turf, and sod industries in Indiana and the surrounding region. In…Read more about New Turf Pathologist[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]
Recently, home lawns have been maligned in several media outlets as a waste of time and resources. Mismanagement by using too much water or misplacing fertilizer may compound the issue by straining environmental resources or serving as pollutants. While not going into all the defenses for turfgrass use on home lawns, (remember “right plant, right…Read more about Look Below Before Blaming Above[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]
Since early June, Indiana has been seeing abnormally dry and moderate drought conditions gradually expand and intensify across the state. Conditions peaked in early July when over 94% of the state was classified as either Abnormally Dry (D0; 55% of Indiana) or Moderate Drought (D1; 39% of Indiana) according to the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM). …Read more about Rainfall helping to eliminate drought across Indiana[Read More]
Brittle cinders and burnt crusts usually bring to mind bad baking experiments, but in this case they are common names for a highly destructive wood rot fungus: Kretzschmaria deusta. The names derive from the charcoal-like fungal fruiting structure (the stroma), where spores are produced (Figure 1). Most wood decay fungi can be classified as…Read more about Kretzschmaria Basal Canker: Fast Path to Tree Failure[Read More]
The Problem In recent years, nurseries in multiple states have reported moderate to severe dieback, chlorosis and stunting of redbud (Fig. 1). Dieback is defined as “the gradual but progressive death of individual branches or shoots from tips toward the main stem.” Dieback is a catch-all phrase that describes a constellation of symptoms that include…Read more about Vascular Streak Dieback of Redbud: What Plant Pathologists Know so far[Read More]
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a proactive strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests by understanding the pest’s biology and utilizing a combination of control techniques. There are IPM strategies for all types of pests including weeds, insects, and diseases. Regardless of type, scouting and identification are the first and most critical steps in…Read more about Integrated Pest Management: Balance Restored between Prey and Predator[Read More]
Honeydew, or the sticky liquid excrement that accumulates beneath trees infested with sucking insects, can attract stinging insects, pit the finish of your car, and coat your plants and picnic tables with black sooty mold. Learning which trees are prone to these problems can keep you from getting tied up in a sticky mess.
While recent temperatures have been moderate in many parts of the state, rainfall has been lacking. (See The Annual Drought Article). There are chasms in the clay of my backyard that will swallow my kids and dogs whole. While I am not truly worried about the safety of my smaller family members, a lot of…Read more about What is happening to the Weeping Willows?[Read More]
It is the policy of the Purdue University that all persons have equal opportunity and access to its educational programs, services, activities, and facilities without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, disability or status as a veteran. Purdue is an Affirmative Action Institution. This material may be available in alternative formats. 1-888-EXT-INFO Disclaimer: Reference to products in this publication is not intended to be an endorsement to the exclusion of others which may have similar uses. Any person using products listed in this publication assumes full responsibility for their use in accordance with current directions of the manufacturer.
Sign-up to receive email news and alerts from Purdue Landscape Working Group:
This is US
For More Information
Purdue Home Page
Purdue Extension
Find your county office
