The 2023 Purdue Turf and Landscape Seminar will be held on November 16th and 17th at the W.H. Daniel Turfgrass Research and Diagnostic Center in West Lafayette, IN. This event is designed for intermediate and advanced turf and landscape professionals, providing them with the latest technology for managing turf and landscape systems, and to maintain…Read more about Purdue Turf and Landscape Seminar Announced[Read More]
Resources for landscapes and gardens in the Midwest
Landscape Report
Found 563 Articles
Planting may not be the first chore that comes to mind when considering the fall garden, but as Purdue Urban Forestry Specialist, Ben McCallister mentioned in the last issue, it’s an excellent time to install a new tree1. However, trees aren’t the only thing that can be added to the garden this time of year. …Read more about The Perennial Garden: Fall Planting and Propagation[Read More]
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]
A new invasive insect of concern has been identified in the state of Georgia. In August of 2023, Georgia’s Department of Agriculture, along with the USDA, confirmed the presence of the yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina, outside of the city of Savannah. To date, this is the only confirmed identification of this insect in the United…Read more about New Invasive Predator of Honeybees[Read More]
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]
Wet summer weather always brings in a surplus of plant diseases, but few are as dramatic as clematis blight, caused by the fungus now called Calophoma clematidina (formerly Ascochyta or Phoma clematidina) (Fig. 1). The rest of us simply call it clematis blight or clematis wilt. Why the confusion with both the common and Latin…Read more about Blasted Clematis Blight[Read More]
Help IR4 Help You! The IR-4 Project provides the research necessary for pesticide registration on ornamental plants. IR4 operates as a unique partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – both the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service (CSREES), the Agricultural Research Service (ARS),…Read more about Help IR4 Help You![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]
The final month of summer is here, meaning children are returning to school and pools will be closing soon. The end of summer also signifies shorter days, cooler temperatures and a nearing finish line for the long marathon run by our cool season lawns. Summer is tough on the fescues, Kentucky bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass…Read more about Turn Around a Down Lawn with Seed[Read More]
Black vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) is a serious pest of several ornamental and fruit plants, such as azalea, Cyclamen, caneberries, yew, rhododendron, grape, and strawberry. It is not a widespread issue, but when they occur, infestations can be devastating to a grower. A few larvae can be lethal to a Rhododendron, and the foliage feeding…Read more about Black Vine Weevil[Read More]
In the last five years, we have received 233 samples from Indiana, alone, with concerns ranging from boxwood leafminer to Volutella dieback and cold damage (Figure 1, 2, 3). Often, we find multiple problems on any given sample, and very frequently we see Volutella in association with dark cankers of stems that appear to have…Read more about Boxwood Browning, Blights, and Cankers – 2023 Update[Read More]
Poison hemlock was introduced to North America as a garden/ornamental plant. It is a native of Europe, and it is a member of the Apiaceae (parsley) family. Purdue experts Bill Johnson and Marcelo Zimmer wrote about poison hemlock in a Purdue Pest & Crop newsletter. They wrote that poison hemlock can be noticed very early…Read more about Recognizing and Managing Poison Hemlock[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]
It’s that time of year when we remind everyone to watch for spotted lanternfly (SLF) infestations. Spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014, and has since spread throughout the eastern USA. Its preferred host is the invasive Tree-of-Heaven, but it also feeds on a wide range of important plant species,…Read more about Spotted lanternfly egg hatch is here[Read More]
All plants are susceptible to attack by pests and pathogens. Under certain conditions, a homeowner may require the use of a pesticide, but only after they’ve included, or exhausted the use of cultural practices like removal of diseased tissue (sanitation and eradication); considered resistant varieties to replace continual problem plants; and making sure the plant…Read more about Fungicides, Homeowners, and the Garden Center[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. Japanese Painted…Read more about Plant Picks: Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum)[Read More]
The unpredictable Midwest weather has gardeners checking their rain gauge daily, because one rule gardeners learn early on is that landscapes need about an inch of water each week. Of course, there are many factors that will impact the accuracy of this very general rule such as soil type, average temperature, sun exposure, plant type,…Read more about What is an Inch of Water?[Read More]
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