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Red and gold mums arranged in a planter with small pumpkins.

Bring New Life to Worn-Out Summer Containers: Ideas to Fall in Love With

With just a bit of imagination and a little time, your worn-out summer containers can gain new life with a variety of cool-season flowers and plants that come in brilliant fall colors!

Green and brown grasshopper with two yellow lines that originate on the head and meet on the abdomen.

Grasshoppers in Gardens

Due to large populations and dry conditions, grasshoppers are moving into gardens and feeding on whatever they can find. In a normal year, grasshoppers can be a nuisance in a garden, but during an outbreak year, they can present a real threat to gardens, shrubs and small trees.

Bright-yellow to dark-orange rudbeckia flowers in bloom.

Rudbeckia Brighten the Garden From Summer Through Fall

Rudbeckia, or Black-Eyed Susans, are a favorite plant of many gardeners. They are prized for their bright yellow-to-orange flowers with the dark-brown center, and they are typically easy to grow when planted in a sunny location.

Four varieties of colorful chrysanthemum flowers, including: Mammoth Red, Mammoth Lavender, Mammoth Yellow Quill and Mammoth Twilight Pink.

Chrysanthemums Add Color to Fall Gardens

Chrysanthemums are the quintessential fall-blooming plant that are sold all over the region, but not all mums are created equal! You need to shop carefully if you want plants that will look good this fall and also come back in future years.

Vareity of garden plants arranged on a four-wheeled garden cart.

Harden Your Transplants Prior To Planting Your Garden

Hardening plants is an important step that gardeners should not skip. Take the time to harden your plants properly and reap the benefits of sturdy, well-established plants throughout the gardening season!

Left: Large green leaves of hosta have white and yellow discoloration on the outside edge of the leaves. Right: A green pepper with a tan spot that appears mushy.

Leaf Scorch and Sunscald in the Garden

Long stretches of hot, dry weather will upset the growing habits of all plants and will lead to some unusual symptoms on leaves and produce in the garden. July and August are a prime time to watch for leaf scorch and sunscald.

Perennial ground cover with pink and white flowers.

Perennial Ground Covers for Sunny Gardens

Do you have any large areas of bare soil in the garden, or perhaps a location that is difficult to mow? Consider planting perennial ground covers to fill in extra space in your sunny location!

a patch of green, weedy flowers with white petals and a yellow center

Invasive Garden Plants: Is That a Weed?

While we generally consider invasive plants like crabgrass, dandelions, and purslane as weeds, just about any plant can be considered a weed when it's in the wrong location.

Small, black beetle with a long snout.

Headclipping Weevils in Sunflower

Headclipping weevils have been active in some sunflower fields and in ornamental sunflower throughout South Dakota. Although the headclipping weevil is considered a minor pest of commercial sunflowers, it can cause a lot of problems for individuals trying to maintain sunflowers in their yards and gardens.

Herbaceous perennials growing in a garden.

How to Plant Potted Perennials in the Garden

Herbaceous perennial plants have long been the mainstay of most gardens. Whether you are starting a new perennial garden or adding a few plants to an existing garden, planning and proper planting techniques are key.