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During the holidays, many people make or distribute decorations that contain boxwood cuttings. If you work with boxwood, you should be aware of the potential for spreading this devastating disease.
If you are looking for a medium-to-large shade tree, look no further than our native black gum.
The hemlock rust mite, Nalepella tsugifoliae, is an eriophyid mite that commonly causes injury to Canadian hemlock, Tsuga canadensis. This pest also feeds on fir, spruce, and species of Taxus.
It is easy to get stuck in a rut when a plant combination works. In autumn, drifts of asters, goldenrod and chrysanthemums are commonly found intermingled among ornamental grasses. To add a wow factor to the fall border, consider using Helianthus salicifolius 'First Light', a superior selection of the willowleaf sunflower.
Hydrangeas may not be first on your list when it comes to shrubs with multiple seasons of interest, but their blooms remain attractive for several months, often through winter.
Prostrate spurge is a low-growing summer annual weed commonly found in landscapes, turfgrass and container-grown nursery crops in Pennsylvania.
We're coming to the end of the optimum time to seed PA lawns. There's no question that mid-August through September is the best time to seed cool season turf grasses. Depending on your location, mid-October is really the latest time to risk seeding. If you still have seeding to do, there are some research results you should consider when deciding when and how to get the job done.
Carefully inspect turf or landscape beds to look for seedling emergence.
Dodder is a parasitic annual vine that has no chlorophyll – it is kind of creepy!
Horticulturists and gardeners owe a debt of gratitude to the early American botanists John and William Bartram for making this handsome small flowering tree available to us.
The Allegheny County Extension office has received a number of samples and questions about a caterpillar that was defoliating false indigo (Baptisia australis) earlier this summer. The insect is known as the genista broom moth caterpillar, Uresiphita reversalis. It is also known as the sophora worm because it is a major pest of mescal bean (Sophora secundiflora) in the southwestern United States.
Each August in Allegheny County, the extension office sponsors a field day at the demonstration gardens in North and South Parks. At the event, we conduct an informal poll asking guests to vote on their favorite annual. Surprisingly, this year, ornamental or chili peppers garnered top votes at both demonstration garden sites. They beat out over 90 other annuals including showy zinnias and rudbeckias, lush angelonia and amazing varieties of sun coleus.
Carpinus caroliniana is a native understory tree in eastern North America, ranging from eastern Canada south to Florida and west to Texas.
Landscapes don't pop if everything is green, so designers add different colors and textures in the form of perennials, trees, and shrubs.
The emerald ash borer continues its march across Pennsylvania, with infestations discovered in five more counties in 2012, bringing the number of Pennsylvania counties with confirmed emerald ash borer infestations to 27.
One of the biggest challenges we face in the Plant Disease Clinic is trying to diagnose samples that consist of plant material that is too small, badly decayed, or that comes with only a small amount of information.
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) reports that boxwood blight has been confirmed on a planting of pachysandra in a landscape where new boxwood plants had been installed in May 2012.
The Allegheny County Extension Office has received numerous calls and emails from landscapers and home gardeners alike wondering what is happening to impatiens this summer.
This article references farmers and ranchers but is pertinent to all who work outdoors.
Confirmation of the emerald ash borer in three new PA counties.
