Resources for landscapes and gardens in the Midwest
Landscape Report
Found 481 Articles
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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…]
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 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…]
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:
