Winter sowing is a way to provide a cold, moist period for native plant seeds that require it for germination, something akin to what they’d experience outside in winter. This is called stratification. Some native plant seeds don’t require a cold moist period at all and will germinate in a warm moist situation inside the […]
Yes, this time of year we often see some leaf damage courtesy of some garden friends and garden foes (as well as hail!). Holes are not necessarily a reason to panic and pull out the insecticide sprayer. In fact, they can be an indicator that your ecosystem is healthy and functioning as it should. The […]
The pruning season for many woody plants has been especially difficult to determine this year as the temperatures have swung wildly between frigid and too warm for pruning certain species. Temperature is critical in determining when it is safe to prune oak trees. This is due to the activity of the beetles that carry oak […]
Black Lace™ elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’) is a great black-leaved shrub for full sun. The plant was bred Ken Tobutt and Jacqui Prevette of East Malling Research Station in Kent, England from European elderberry cultivars. Black Lace™ elderberry is marketed under the Proven Winners® brand. Our plant at the Dane County Extension Teaching Garden is […]
This year, I am trying something new. I am following the advice of Xerces, (the national pollinator protection non-profit) and well-known author Doug Tallamy, Professor of Agriculture and Natural Resources in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, and not doing the scrupulous fall garden cleanup I have been practicing […]
Tomato late blight was confirmed this week on foliar and fruit tissues from a plant sample submitted from the western edge of Dane County. This is the first confirmation of late blight on tomato or potato in Wisconsin for 2024. Originally the late blight was thought to be a possible sunscald as the symptoms on tomato […]
‘Native’ is a bit of a slippery term, though you hear it used on a regular basis in reference to plants. But the question is, “Native in reference to where?”. When talking about ‘native’ plants, someone might be referring to a U.S. native or East coast native, but not necessarily a Midwest native or Wisconsin […]
This year, unlike last year, we have certainly not had to worry about watering! Everything is huge and luxuriant (unfortunately, this includes mosquitoes in the evening). So many things are flowering that I had trouble choosing what to cover. I decided that I would focus on ‘daisies’ since we have several cultivars (this word is […]
A lot of great plants are in bloom here at the Teaching Garden! Native spring wildflowers, non-native perennials, groundcovers and various trees and shrubs are all blooming! Here are some of the highlights. Native Wisconsin Spring Wildflowers Two native plants that grow in open woodlands, meadows or prairies are shooting star Shooting Star plants (also […]
It’s a great time of year. Bulbs, native spring wildflowers and various trees and shrubs are all blooming! Here are some of the highlights over the past three to four weeks. Bulbs: We have a couple of late-season daffodils still blooming. ‘Palmares’ is a member of Division 11 of the Narcissus genus. That division has […]
If you are feeling a bit of weather whiplash, you are not alone. Some plants have leafed out or are blooming a few weeks earlier than usual due to the record-breaking warm weather in February and early March. Now, Mother Nature as she often does, is doing a bit of a course correction and we […]
The 3rd-4th week in March is a great time to start seeds in the southern half of the state. Starting warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers inside like we will do in the workshop is recommended, so they bear fruit in a timely fashion since our growing season is too short for them to be […]
