Skip to main content

Flower

All Flower Content

Shiny green and bronze beetle on green dill plant.

What Are These Shiny Beetles in My Yard and Why Are They Eating Everything?

Japanese beetles are very bad news for anyone with a garden. They are polyphagous insect pests, which simply means they feed on many different host plants.

Brown beetle with hairy body with black mottled pattern.

What are Those Large Beetles in My Garden?

One of the insects that starts to attract attention this time of year is the bumble flower beetle.

Shiny black beetle on a white background.

Black Vine Weevils Becoming Active

Black vine weevils are now showing up across the state. It is typical for the adult beetles to emerge in early summer and begin feeding on plant foliage. They primarily feed on lilacs and yews, both common landscape shrubs. Although the adults cause minimal damage, their larvae feed on the roots and can occasionally be a threat to ornamental plants, especially those grown in pots or containers.

a yellow dandelion flower growing in a garden

Dandelion Season

The yellow flowers of spring are coming. Spring dandelion treatments are not as effective as fall, but they can be used to stop the yellow flowers from producing viable seed.

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.

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.

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.

white fly sitting on a green plant leaf

Biological Control of Pests in High Tunnels

Major insect and mite pests in high tunnels include aphids, thrips, white flies, and spider mites. Biological control uses living organisms (natural enemies) to suppress or limit pest populations to levels that do not cause economic injury to the crop.

plant seeds in moisture-proof foil bags stored in bins on a shelf

Healthy Seeds Make Healthy Plants

Saving seeds is a fun and economical way to produce plants for the next year. There are concerns however when saving seeds about seed-borne diseases.

group of four lilac bushes with white flowers

Lilacs Are Looking Good This Spring

Lilacs are one of those plants whose lovely flower clusters and sweet fragrance are anticipated by gardeners in many parts of the world, but especially in the colder regions of the United States, Europe and Asia.