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 […]
Woodpecker flecking on ash bark Photo credit Lisa Johnson Woodpecker Flecking on Ash Photo credit Wisconsin DNR Even before humans are able to detect signs of emerald ash borer in ash trees, woodpeckers know the larvae are there, feeding just under the tree’s bark. Woodpecker damage, called “flecking,” occurs when birds peck away the top […]
The book now offers detailed information about county roads, large land ownership, parks, and outdoor recreation opportunities. It also shows the locations of Dane County parks, publicly-owned lands, churches, schools, cemeteries, and municipal halls. Other unique features of the book include aerial photos of jurisdictions. This plat book was created entirely in-house, helping to reduce production costs […]
January 22, 2024 This past week was Winter Salt Awareness week. Allison Madison, Program Manager for Wisconsin SaltWIse hosted an excellent series of YouTube livestreamed mini-lectures on various topics around winter de-icing salt use. To view the series, visit SaltWISe Winter Salt Awareness week. With the recent snowfall, you may have used de-icing salt products […]
Having a strong relationship with your romantic partner can be hard and finding trustworthy support can be difficult. The Strong Couples Program is six self-paced modules and five brief video calls about communication, commitment, and problem-solving. Learn more here. The Strong Couples Program is: The Strong Couples Program is free! You can start any time. […]
One of the tools we have for climate resilience and mitigating the effects of urban heat islands in cities is planting more large-scale trees. This new two-sided publication from Dane County Extension Horticulture and the Tree Canopy Collaborative illustrates the steps in planting a tree, whether it is in a pot, bare root or has […]
You may have received or purchased some flower bulbs over the holidays. For forcing, you need to know whether you have a precooled or non-pre-cooled bulb. Or maybe you have an amaryllis bulb, which needs no cooling due to its tropical origins. Amaryllis bulbs produce large showy blooms on a sturdy stalk. The common name […]
‘Winter burn’ is a type of damage to evergreen foliage that occurs over winter or in early spring. Symptoms include browning and dying from foliage tips, extending inward. Several factors cause winter burn, including winter ‘thaws’ where the temperatures rise above freezing for a long period of time such that the plants come out of […]
Before the ground freezes too far down, it is a good time to put protective fencing around trees and shrubs that may experience damage from deer, rabbit, vole, or mouse feeding over winter. Fruit trees, crabapples, burning bush, shrub hibiscus, Fothergilla, young witch hazel, low-growing junipers and arborvitae are among the plants most commonly damaged, […]
