Sometimes we notice things in our gardening endeavors that are puzzling. In time the proverbial light bulb may appear over our heads and an explanation for the oddity presents itself. One of those eureka moments occurred recently. Several years ago I ordered seeds for a purple tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa.) These tomatillos are much sweeter...

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Adelges tsugae Many landowners have been culling ash trees in anticipation of the devastation anticipated by the arrival of the Emerald Ash Borer   (There is a very good reason for this and we will explore it next month.)  The next victim of insect invasion may be the hemlock. Cook Forest has one...

We recently had a question as to whether black-eyed- Susan is a perennial, a short lived perennial or a biennial. For some gardeners the clumps come back every year, grow bigger and eventually require division. For other gardeners the plants will reseed but the plant never seems to get bigger but there are always black-eyed-Susans...

Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) As fall approaches plants go on sale. The lower prices give us the opportunity to take chances with plants that are questionable for our area or the situation in which we wish to grow them. We will be experimenting with a new one this fall. There is a section on the...

Ash Fraxinus spp Last month we commented on the wooly adelgid and its attack on the local hemlock. Another pest, the emerald ash borer, has been with us for some time and some unexpected results of this infestation are coming to light. The emerald ash borer has not only devastated ash trees they have created...