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a thicket of tall, green to brown grass planted in a garden

Native Plants: Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a native, warm season prairie grass that has slowly found its way into the popular ornamental grass market.

Nugget Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Nugget’)

‘Nugget’ is a South Dakota State University release of this popular shrub. This particular cultivar has lovely golden yellow foliage in the spring which fades to a darker green later in the season.

plant with thick, green leaves and clusters of pink, cup-shaped flowers.

Pig Squeak: Bergenia cordifolia ‘Winterglut’ (Winterglow)

Bergenia is a great plant for many different types of sites in the garden performing well in shady locations to full sun, if extra moisture is provided. It looks great as a single specimen plant or planted in groups of five or more.

Tomatoes growing in a high tunnel. Courtesy: USDA

Pollinating Tomatoes in High Tunnels

In field-grown tomatoes the air movement is sufficient to vibrate flowers and achieve pollination. This is not generally true in the high tunnel because there is not sufficient natural wind to vibrate the flowers. High tunnel tomato growers should therefore pollinate their crop by other means.

peace lily plant with green leaves and delicate white flowers

Care of Peace Lilies

Peace lilies, or Spathiphyllum, are popular houseplants because they are generally easy to grow, have pretty flowers and can tolerate lower light levels. But lots of people do have problems with them. I would say that most of these problems relate to improper watering and fertilizing.

apricto leaves with several small holes throughout

Shot Hole Disease in Apricots

Shot hole disease of apricot trees can be identified through symptoms on leaves and fruit. Small holes will appear on leaves while brown lesions with a deep purple band will show up on fruit.

What's Bugging Your Garden? Cucumber Beetles

Striped cucumber beetles are little yellow and black striped beetles that are fairly small, but what they lack in size they make up for in numbers and appetite.

cluster of bright red raspberries with small black beetles burrowed inside some berries.

Picnic Beetles on Raspberries

Picnic beetles, a small beetle that loves fermenting fruit (and potato salad at picnics), commonly feed on raspberries. The beetle can quickly ruin a ripe raspberry as they burrow around inside the fruit.

two orange and white caterpillars feeding on green plant leaves.

What’s Bugging Your Garden? Broom Moth

There is a new pest problem for flower growers that enjoy Baptisia (false indigo) called the Genista Broom Moth. It is actually the caterpillars that cause the damage.

spruce tree seedling with weeds beneath it

Weeds Around Spruce Seedlings?

I have many producers call wanting a control for the broadleaf weeds coming up around their young Colorado and Black Hills spruce seedlings. At this time of year we are looking at post-emergence herbicides to control weeds that have become established.