Is it time to add a new tree to your landscape? There are many more considerations than “I’ve always wanted a maple tree.” Not to discourage you from planting a tree – it is a noble undertaking – but below is a list of items to consider before you start. Putting the right tree [Continue]
On the hottest summer day when the air is still and so humid you can barely breathe, the slightest movement of air can stir the leaves of the quaking aspen. The whispering of the leaves provides a small measure of relief from the heat, even if it’s only psychological. The Latin name for [Continue]
This fall I fell in love with red twig dogwood. It is one of the few native shrubs among an overwhelming multitude of invasive plants and shrubs that edge the trail where I walk every morning. The dogwoods have been particularly beautiful this fall, or perhaps they’ve always been there, just waiting for me to [Continue]
“In the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.” Ecclesiastes 11:3 A dead tree is never entirely dead even though it may seem that way at first glance. Observe a dead tree for a while and you’ll see that it is teeming with life. The healthiest, most biologically diverse forests have a [Continue]
It’s hard for many people to understand, but there are some of us who love winter. If you are one who would rather think about winter from a distance of six months or so, or if you’d like to experiment with a unique theme garden next year, here are some plants you might include [Continue]
Along with maple, the tree that most Wisconsinites can identify is the mighty oak. My entirely unscientific research turned up hundreds of poems written about oak trees, almost as many as are written about love and love lost. Often people will leave an oak standing in an inconvenient location rather than fell it. In 2004 [Continue]
I enjoy receiving gardening questions from readers which is why I list my email address at the end of my column. I invariably learn something new while making sure to provide thorough, science-based answers to the questions posed. Sometimes I have to admit that I just don’t know the answer for sure and I [Continue]
Who doesn’t adore the sweet smell of honeysuckle? There is nothing more delightful than walking down a trail perfumed with honeysuckle in early June. However, behind the sweetness lurks a wicked invader. Those fragrant swaths of honeysuckle are unfortunately growing quickly larger and destroying all kinds of good things in their paths. There are many [Continue]
A few weeks ago my husband and I were taking our usual morning walk alongside Lake Butte des Morts. While his gaze turns upward toward waterfowl and songbirds, my eyes are drawn to the sides of the trail and the plants that grow there. This particular morning I was stopped in my tracks by the [Continue]
Highbush cranberry isn’t a true cranberry, although the berries are similar in both taste and appearance. The Latin name is Viburnum opulus var. americanum, which is important to know if you buy plants for growing cranberries for your own consumption or to support wildlife. Highbush cranberries are multi-stemmed shrubs growing 10–15 feet tall and 10-12 [Continue]