Good trees do a lot more than offer shade. They act as miniature ecosystems while defining areas of the landscape, and they also provide the benefits of cleaner air. Being in the presence of tall ...
Conifer Confusion : An Identification Guide for Pine, Spruce, and Fir Trees
One of my earliest memories involves planting a spruce tree. We grew up in a very rural part of Pennsylvania, so when I say that my dad and I drove his pickup truck into the woods, I literally ...
Love Letter from the ‘20s: A Guide to Growing Avocados
We all know, of course, that letter carriers deliver the mail. But I wonder how many of you know about the 1920s mailman who “delivered” what would become most popular avocado in the United ...
Grow Your Own Gorgeous Mulberry Trees
All of my childhood summers were marked by lazy days in the mulberry trees, grabbing fistfuls of the tiny, dark fruits for hours of casual snacking. Today, I am delighted to find my current ...
Propagating a New Species: A Man, a Tree, and a Legacy
Thirty-five years ago, Bob Piaschyk had no idea that a routine delivery of some live oak trees to his family-owned nursery outside of Dallas would launch a lifelong, dogged pursuit of a new ...
Restoring Habitat with Charlotte Adelman and Bernard Schwartz’s Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees
I just finished reading the recently published gardening handbook, Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees: Gardening Alternatives to Nonnative Species, by Charlotte Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz. It’s , ...
Death by Black Walnut: The Facts on Juglone Toxicity
I grew up in a part of the Nebraska river bottom where black walnut trees (Juglans nigra) were abundant. I enjoyed picking the nut meat from the shells each year, after my grandmother ran the hard ...
The Top 5 Reasons You Should Plant Mexican White Oak
Mexican white oak (Quercus polymorpha) is such an incredible tree that it’s even become a favorite of the vaunted University of Texas at Austin. In fact, the facilities services of the ...
Leave the Butchery Behind: How to Properly Prune Crape Myrtle Trees
Crape myrtle trees (Lagerstroemia) are to the southern United States what ivy is to university towers. Imperative. Expected. Greatly appreciated, and… lovely. Though not as ubiquitous as they ...
6 Deer Tolerant Trees for Your Yard (USDA Zones 6-10)
There is no sure fire way to rid your garden of the possibility of a deer buffet. As the evening falls, the four legged rats - *ahem cough, cough* - majestic creatures leave their shelters and ...
