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Multiple Dates & Locations Indianapolis – Newfields – August 7, 2023 Elkhart – Wellfield Botanic Gardens – August 10, 2023 Evansville – Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden – August 18, 2023 Register here: https://cvent.me/4zyrLe The Purdue Green Industry team is excited to announce three diagnostic training opportunities around Indiana.  This event will feature Purdue…Read more about Landscape Diagnostic Training Opportunities in English and Spanish[Read More]


It’s time for spring cleaning the herbaceous perennial garden, but be careful not to pluck out any of your favorite flowers. With all the green quickly sprouting up, it may be difficult to tell friend from foe. Established herbaceous perennials will emerge from the ground in the same location as the previous year and are…Read more about To Weed or Not to Weed? The Perennial Garden: Early Season Plant Identification[Read More]


Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen that attacks a diversity of woody ornamental plants.  The bacteria cause flower blights, cankers, shoot blights, and diebacks. Symptoms Symptoms often begin as expanding leaf spots. On lilac and viburnum, small spots expand to irregularly shaped brown lesions with yellow halos (Fig. 1). For most other hosts…Read more about Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae on lilac and other woody ornamentals.[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]


Purdue Professors and Extension Specialists, Dr. Janna Beckerman and Dr. Cliff Sadof, joined Margaret Roach on the podcast ‘A Way to Garden’ recently to discuss the brand-new updates to the Purdue Plant Doctor.  A transcript of the interview can be found here: https://awaytogarden.com/diagnosing-plant-troubles-with-the-purdue-plant-doctor/ To listen: Apple ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-way-to-garden-with-margaret/id370801678 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5rThGtiQ03JtKBET8zdOqO Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/whdd/a-way-to-garden-with-margaret-roach



If you spend any time reading about native landscapes, you will quickly find numerous articles and guides for plants that are good for pollinators. Many native pollinator species are in decline, and choosing plants that support their lifecycle is a great way homeowners and landscapers can engage with the effort to improve their populations. However,…Read more about Is my urban garden helping native pollinators?[Read More]


Rose rosette disease is a severe problem for rose growers and occurs widely throughout many rose growing regions of the US, especially from the mid-South into the Midwest. The problem was described on roses in the early 1940s but actual cause of the disease remained murky until the pathogen was identified as a virus in…Read more about Rose Rosette[Read More]


Pink snow mold is a disease caused by the fungal pathogen Microdochium nivale (syn. Monographella nivalis) that is being observed in middle and northern Indiana this late winter. The pathogen is termed psychrophilic, or cold loving, due to its propensity to grow and infect in colder temperatures. The disease can be particularly severe on unfrozen…Read more about A Cold Mold that Craves the Shade[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]


Garlic mustard (Alliara petiolata) can be found in public parks, backyards, meadows, forests, gardens, and along roadsides throughout Indiana. The leaves have a strong garlic smell to them. Garlic mustard was first introduced from Northeastern Europe in the 1860s in Long Island, New York. Immigrants from Europe used it for food (an herb), medicine, and…Read more about Managing Garlic Mustard[Read More]


We are now on the other side of the equinox, days are getting longer, and there are specks of green poking out on the plants in our life.  If you’re in Indiana or similar areas of the Midwest, you’ve probably experienced what I like to call False Spring and Second Winter and are looking forward…Read more about Southwest Damage, Scalding, or Frost Cracking[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]


Why Scout? Pathogens, insects, weeds and other pests negatively impact ornamental plant production (greenhouse, nursery, landscape). Integrated pest management (IPM) strategies are used to prevent (ideally) or mitigate damage to ornamental crops. IPM strategies of ornamentals include practices such as proper plant choice for the site, incorporation of resistant varieties when available, the use of…Read more about Scouting 101[Read More]


Rust diseases produce some of the most dramatic symptoms and signs we see on woody plants in the landscape. These fungi live up to the name of ‘rust’ diseases because the spore structures they produce on the plant are generally bright orange, as shown by these examples:  Cedar-apple rust (https://purduelandscapereport.org//article/orange-koosh-galls-on-eastern-red-cedar/), Hollyhock rust (https://purduelandscapereport.org//article/jolly-hollyhock-rust/) and Buckthorn…Read more about Cedar Quince Rust[Read More]


Indiana is well-known for its erratic weather. Hoosiers, along with all Midwesterners, have numerous sarcastic sayings regarding the weather.   “If you don’t like the weather, just wait ten minutes.” “The forecast is made up and the seasons don’t matter.” “It will be winter at 6 am and summer by 3 pm. Dress accordingly.”  …Read more about Ready, Set, Prune![Read More]



The 2022 Indiana Arborist Association Annual Conference will be held in Indianapolis at the Indianapolis Marriott East, January 24-26th, 2023. The IAA and our partners will be offering a full 3-day program with educational opportunities and trade show for anyone involved in planning, planting or managing trees in the built environment.  Speakers from all over the country…Read more about 2023 Indiana Arborist Association Annual Conference[Read More]


The Indiana Green Expo is Indiana’s largest and most comprehensive Green Industry educational conference and trade show serving Indiana and the Midwest.  The 2023 Indiana Green Expo (IGE) is sponsored by the Indiana Nursery & Landscape Association and the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation. Unlike some for-profit trade shows, all proceeds from the IGE are used directly to…Read more about Join us for the 2023 Indiana Green Expo[Read More]


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