Have some extra space in your yard? Elderberries are a great, easy shrub that will provide food for your table or for the birds. Both the flowers and the berries are useful. Flowers can be harvested to make an herbal tea believed to be a remedy for colds, fever and flu. You may [Continue]
My neighbor erected three ugly plastic storage buildings along our shared lot line, just in my line of vision from the lawn chair on my deck. Even though the buildings aren’t straight off the deck, my eye was constantly drawn to the eyesores. What to do? Discarding the illegal and impractical alternatives, I [Continue]
You planted that maple when your son was born. He climbed it when he was twelve and now you sit on a blanket beneath it with your grandchild. The willow was the first tree you and your spouse planted when you built your home. The stately oak was the reason you bought your property. [Continue]
Homeowners often have questions about what they see in and on their trees and wonder if they should be worried. Rotten areas on the bark are cause for concern. A rule of thumb is that if 50% or more of a branch or trunk is rotted, its strength is dangerously compromised. The branch or [Continue]
The question I’ve been asked most often since I became a Master Gardener is “Why won’t anything grow near my black walnut tree?” Black walnut trees release a chemical called juglone that can damage plants growing near them. Leaves yellow and wilt and sometimes the entire plant dies. Juglone is released from walnut [Continue]
By now most people have taken down their holiday decorations, packed them in boxes and hauled them back to the basement or attic. While putting up decorations may be enjoyable for some, no one likes taking them down. What if next year you didn’t have to? What if your outdoor decorations were already [Continue]
Many people dream of building a home in the woods. As cities and suburbs expand, more and more wooded areas are being developed into residential lots. But the construction process can be deadly to nearby trees. And unless the damage is extreme, instead of dying immediately, the trees could decline over several years, making it [Continue]
Only one tamarack tree grows within a mile of my home. The dry, alkaline farmland area is not conducive to the moist acidic soil conditions that my reference books say tamaracks need to thrive. Tamaracks, also called larches, are conifers, meaning they produce cones, but they are unusual in that they lose all [Continue]
When you were stringing the Christmas lights on that big evergreen or along the yew hedge in your front yard, did you notice that it was a little shaggy or misshapen and think it could use a little pruning? Don’t worry, it’s not a chore that needs to be finished along with the last minute [Continue]
Wisconsin gardeners may look with envy on their neighbors to the south whose growing season extends year round. But if you’re like me, you feel a little sadness at the first hard frost each fall, and then breathe a secret sigh of relief that a well-deserved few months of rest are ahead. Then around [Continue]