Remain Calm, It’s just a Cicada Killer Wasp!

Cicada killing wasps are back for the summer of 2020! They are big and fast, but they’re not going to hurt you. Learn how to live comfortably with them or discourage them from taking up residence in your landscape.

Get Rid of the Grass in Your Landscape

Really?  Get rid of it?  But, I’m a big fan.  I love the relaxing feeling I get when I mow the grass.  Yes, there are many benefits of turfgrass, were  outlined last week, but really, in the true spirit of the horticultural truism of “Right Plant, Right Place”, turf simply doesn’t belong in all parts…

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Moles and Grubs

It’s been a good year for moles.  A nice amount of rain keeps soils moist and workable—the perfect environment to enable mole movement as they “swim” through the soil. Many people approach the problem of moles by focusing on grubs—that if the grubs are gone, then moles won’t be in the lawn. Though not accurate,…

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Mosquitoes: A Bad Summer Buzz

Mosquitoes are back and they’re not only annoying, but they can make you sick! Learn what you can do to reduce the number of mosquitoes in your landscape and prevent bites this summer.

What’s Up with All the Wasps?

Paper wasps and yellowjackets are build nests around our home and landscape. Find out how to protect your family and pets from stinging insects before small nests become large colonies.

Benefits of Turfgrass

In many gardening circles, lawns and turfgrass in general get a bad reputation.  For the most part, this is greatly undeserved.  Yes, if turf is misplaced or not cared for properly, it can be a liability rather than an asset in the landscape.  But before you write it off completely, consider the following:   *Oxygen…

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Rose Diseases

Unfortunately, roses are not care-free plants, at least not in the Midwest.  They are susceptible hosts to several diseases, namely powdery mildew, rust, black spot and rose rosette.   Powdery mildew:  The name is apt for this disease, as the foliage of affected stems turns to a whitish cast as if dusted with flour.  Powdery…

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Spring, Summer, Fall Blooming Perennials

Perennial flowers offer great appeal in the spring, ringing the bell of activity of the gardening season.  The great news is that perennials do not bloom only in spring – they offer ever-changing garden views in all seasons.  If you plan your garden well, it will offer texture, color and movement appeal whenever you look…

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Spring Flowering Shrubs – Now and Then

One of the true joys of the well-balanced, diversified landscape are the spring flowering and summer flowering shrubs.  Now is the time when we can enjoy the spring flowering shrubs such as  dogwood, viburnum, lilac, cotoneaster and forsythia.  The good part is that there are many cultivars or varieties of these spring blooming species to…

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Mulching – Timing and Products

Weeds are a given.  They’re a true guaranteed item in a field of gardening and lawn care variables.  In lawn care, common sense turf practices and herbicides can be used to create a relatively weed free part of the landscape.  In landscape beds, we turn to mulch. The key to mulch effectiveness is to apply…

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