Good Growing – Growing inspiration: mocha mousse hues in the garden
Each year, a variety of establishments attempt to make news by predicting annual garden trends. I’m conflicted over these reports because, on the one...
Emily Swihart
Good Growing – Nature Photography for Long Winter Days
It is official, winter is upon us. The holiday season has come and gone, the calendar has turned over to a new year, and much of the Midwest is...
From garden to kitchen: the versatility of peppermint
Although the weather outside may be frightful, the Good Growing team wants to wish you and yours a season of peace, joy, and rest. Enjoy this final...
Good Growing – Is it a trick or a treat? Lilacs in the fall
During this first week of October, many of the plants blooming in our landscape are mums, asters, goldenrods, sedums, and ornamental grasses. But what...
Good Growing – Pawpaw: America’s tropical treasure
The time of year is nearing when the pawpaw (Asimina triloba) fruit will ripen and those lucky enough to have access to the fruit (and beat the wildlife...
Good Growing – The duality of American pokeweed
Generally speaking, native plants are considered desirable since they support wildlife, can improve water quality while requiring less water themselves, are beautiful in the landscape, are generally more tolerant of climate conditions and soil types, and much more. However, from time to time a native species is not as appealing as others, and therefore, attempts are made to avoid it or remove it from the landscape. One example is the dreaded poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). A second example, and the one we will explore today in part because my mom asked me to, is American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana).
Good Growing – Seedless watermelon
Summer officially began last week and for many, it means melon season. According to the UDSA, in 2022, approximately 21.1 pounds of melon was available per U.S. consumer. Of the melons available and enjoyed by consumers, the three most popular melons ranked, in order of availability: watermelon (14.1 pounds), cantaloupe (5.3 pounds), and honeydew (1.6 pounds).
Good Growing – Spotting the danger: toxic plants that look like carrots
The other day, I had the opportunity to chaperone a school group at a local state park. While on the field trip, a volunteer-led the students on a nature hike through the woodlands. At one point during the hike, the group leader grabbed a handful of two plants to share with the students but in doing so, misidentified one of the plants. Luckily it wasn’t a harmful plant that was picked. Yet, as I scanned our surroundings, noting stinging nettles and poison ivy, it reminded me of the importance of knowing which plants have the potential to cause harm.
Good Growing – Proper pruning is an act of love
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I want to share one of my great horticulture loves with you all…pruning. I love the idea of it, the exercise of pruning, the science of it, and the potential it has for significantly improving the health and longevity of woody plant material.
Since trees are large, long-lived plants in our landscape, pruning activities done throughout the life of a tree can have a significant impact on how that tree functions in the landscape and how long it survives. Proper pruning conducted while a tree is young can have exponentially advantageous results for overall tree health, maintenance requirements, and beauty.
Good Growing – Garden trends for the new year
The internet is a wild place full of an endless amount of information, ideas, opinions, advice, arguments, and more. Tangled in this web, it will come as no surprise that my favorite spaces are those that relate to plants. I’ve been known to have many, many pages open in my browser window that relate to a vast expanse of horticulture topics. As I read through articles to answer one question, inevitably, more questions develop, which demand research and so on and so forth.