flowers

Got gardening questions? Contact the Hortline at (515) 294-3108 (Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-12 noon and 1-4:30 p.m.) or send an e-mail to hortline@iastate.edu. For more gardening information visit us at Yard and Garden Online at www.yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu

Acreage Living Newsletter - click here

For ALL current news releases, click here.

4/30/2008 - Iowa’s Green Industry Is Growing -- the Economy
iowa's green industry -- ornamental horticulture-- is the fastest growing segment of the state’s agriculture industry, according to an ISU Extension survey.

4/30/2008 - ISU Extension Audio: Interviews for the Week of April 28
Listen to interviews about getting into wet fields at the start of the 2008 growing season, La Niña and potential yields for corn and soybeans, mitigating air emissions and more.

4/29/2008 - NatureMapping Workshop Offered in Scott County
The NatureMapping Program provides hands-on environmental education that helps keep common wildlife common.

4/28/2008 - Take a Hike in the Woods
Woodland wildflowers are emerging in local woodlands and should be in bloom for the next several weeks.

4/28/2008 - New Trapping Procedure for Emerald Ash Borer Announced
Emerald ash borer researchers have developed a new purple trap that will be used in Iowa and in 45 other states throughout the country.

4/24/2008 - Midwest Composting Course Offered in Iowa
The school focuses on a combination of hands-on training, lecture and discussion, facility operator panel discussions and problem solving.

4/23/2008 - ISU Extension Audio: Interviews for the Week of April 21
Listen to interviews about weather conditions during planting, land values, the health of manufacturing, Iowa States’ sesquicentennial and more.

4/23/2008 - Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
This week the experts discuss the chances of importing insects when adding soil around a home and how to stop the spread of variegated bishop's weed.

4/21/2008 - ISU Extension Book Receives Arbor Day Foundation Award
“The Forest Where Ashley Lives,” a children’s book published by Iowa State University Extension, has received an Education Award from this nonprofit education and conservation organization.

4/21/2008 - Dr. Grow-It-All Provides Tips for a Great Lawn
Proper mowing and frequency are important aspects of lawn maintenance. In fact, many turfgrass problems can be traced back to improper mowing.

4/16/2008 - Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
This week the experts offer advice on using zoysiagrass as a lawn, choosing strawberry varieties and when to plant cucumbers.

4/16/2008 - ISU Extension Audio: Interviews for the Week of April 14
Listen to an interview with a NASA specialist about living your dreams, as well as interviews about farmers’ corn planting intentions, the Clay County Fair, options for gardeners and more.

4/14/2008 - Pink in the Garden
There are number of plant choices in the pink palette including trees, shrubs and perennials.

4/9/2008 - Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
This week the experts offer advice on controlling weeds in the garden and when impatiens can be planted outdoors. 

4/8/2008 - Forsythias - Bright Yellow Harbingers of Spring
One sure sign that spring has truly arrived is the bright yellow flowers of the forsythia. Named after William Forsyth, the forsythia is a deciduous shrub that is native to China, Korea and Europe.
 
4/4/2008 - Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
This week the experts offer advice on choosing soil for a raised bed, when to plan cabbage seedlings and how to plant grapevines.

4/3/2008 - Will Insurance Protect You From Storm Damage?
Review your insurance coverage every year so you know what's covered. If you have weather-related property damage, contact your insurance agent or company as soon as possible to report the claim.

3/31/2008 - It’s Time for Spring Garden Chores
Important springtime chores include applying preemergence herbicides to lawns, dividing perennials, removing mulch from strawberries, pruning roses and many others.

3/28/2008 - Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
This week the experts offer information on planting tea roses, dividing lilac bushes, planting carrots and the avereage life span of cherry trees in Iowa.

3/24/2008 - Garden Disease Management Made Easier
Integrated pest management strategies keep diseases, insects, weeds and other pests in check, with minimal harm to the environment and your checkbook.
 
3/19/2008 - Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
This week the experts offer advice on when to plant beet seeds, where to plant a butterfly bush and how to fertilize peonies.

3/17/2008 - It Is Not a Dream! Summer is on the Way
Believe it or not -- there are many perennials that are capable of blooming continuously for months.

3/12/2008 - Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
This week the experts offer advice on choosing a tomato variety, where to plant lungworts and starting calla lilies indoors.
 
3/10/2008 - The Benefits of Pseudoscorpions
Pseudoscorpions are not harmful. They cannot bite or sting and they do not attack the house structure, furniture or occupants.
 
2/19/2008 - ISU Extension Offers Crop Scout Course
The 2008 Crop Scout School is offering hands-on sessions about the identification and scouting methods for weeds, insects and diseases.
 
2/18/2008 - Iowa State University Joins Other Land-grant Universities to Create and Launch National Web Site
Experts from more than 70 Cooperative Extension Services across the United States have contributed to a new national Web resource that launches Feb. 21.

2/18/2008 - Backyard Orchards Require Planning Ahead
With some planning, any Iowan, even those with small yards, can grow tree fruits such as apples, pears, plums and cherries.

2/14/2008 - Elmore Discusses Snow Cover and Planting, Growing Season Issues
Lengthy snow cover could lead to increased insect problems during the growing season, ISU Extension agronomist says.

2/13/2008 - Ask the Iowa State University Extension Gardening Experts
This week the experts explain the difference between determinate and indetermindate tomato varieties, how to prune bluberry plants and what types of potatoes that grow best in Iowa.
 
2/11/2008 - Lemon-Scented Ants May Lurk in Your Garden
When disturbed, larger yellow ants release a compound that smells very much like citronella or lemon.

2/6/2008 - Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
This week the experts offer advice on choosing good onion varieties, fertilizing blueberries and how to improve germination when starting seeds indoor.

2/5/2008 - Iowa’s Grape and Wine Industry Provides Significant Economic Activity
The growth of Iowa’s wine industry directly translates to new economic activity for Iowa’s rural economies, according to the results of a survey conducted by Iowa State University Extension.

2/5/2008 - Siouxland Garden Show March 14 and 15 in South Sioux City
Speaker sessions and vendor displays designed for anyone who has any interest in flowers, lawns, landscapes or gardens.

2/4/2008 - Cover Your Muskmelons
This week's column offers advice on how to keep your cucumber and muskmelon patches healthy and productive this year.

1/30/2008 - Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
This week the experts offer advice on when to divide perennial, prune hybrid roses, plant canna bulbs and fertilize fruit trees.

1/28/2008 - Growing Geraniums from Seeds
Geraniums are commonly grown from cuttings. However, seed-grown hybrid geraniums possess excellent vigor, heat tolerance, disease resistance and are free-blooming.

1/23/2008 - Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
This week the experts offer advice on the benefits of crop rotation in a vegetable garden, whether a Scotch pine is a good choice for Iowa yards and which varieties of sour cherries are best for Iowa.
 
1/22/2008 - Is Weight Loss as Simple as Changing Your Cooking Oil or Brushing Your Teeth?
Switching cooking oil could help consumers pare off a pound or two, new research suggests.
 
1/21/2008 - 2008 Emerald Ash Borer Update for Iowa
Contrary to normal insect borers, emerald ash borer (EAB) infests healthy ash trees, not just ones that are weak or dying.

1/18/2008 - Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
This week the experts offer advice on where to plant raspberries, how to divide perennials and when to prune spring-flowering shrubs.

1/17/2008 - Get ‘Right Now’ Answers to Home and Family Questions
How do you remove mold from a basement wall? Get the burned popcorn smell out of the microwave? Encourage your toddler to stop biting? Contact Iowa State University Extension’s Answer Line.
 
1/14/2008 - Pick Your Houseplants
Winter is the best time to appreciate houseplants, but how do you choose among the thousands of different types? Just follow the same process used for selecting outdoor plants.
 
1/9/2008 - Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
This week the experts explain how to care for ponytail palm trees, how to propogate hibiscus plants and why it is necessary to plant two or more different varieties of apple trees in the home garden.
 
1/7/2008 - Yellowwood -- An Uncommon Find
There are many great low growing trees for Iowa’s urban communities; however there is one species that typically gets over looked because of its rarity. That tree is yellowwood.

1/3/2008 - Ask the ISU Extension Gardening Experts
This week the experts answer questions about growing New Guinea impatiens, starting onions from seed and prolonging the life of cut flowers.

12/30/2007 - Dr. Grow-It-All Rings Out the Old
There are several ways to dispose of, recycle or save your Christmas tree, poinsettia or Christmas cactus.

12/24/2007 - Scale Insects on Houseplants
The indoor winter environment is tough on plants, and insect pests can quickly make the situation worse. Scale insects can increase unnoticed until you suddenly face a sticky situation or a stunted or dead plant.

12/20/2007 - Ask the ISU Extension Experts
In this week's column the experts offer advice on saving a fruit tree that has lost its bark to rabbits, growing winter onions and caring for a grapefruit tree.

12/20/2007 - Learn How To Go Organic
Iowa State University (ISU) Extension is offering a four month course for row crop and livestock producers on how to transition from conventional to organic production.
 
12/17/2007 - Gifts for the Gardener
Check out these gift ideas for gardeners that keep on giving.
 
12/14/2007 - Ask the Iowa State University Extension Experts
This week's column looks at the imapct of deicing compounds on landscape plants, how to care for ice-damaged trees and the way to water a poinsettia.
 
12/10/2007 - “Sick” Poinsettias Make Holidays Merry
Nearly all poinsettias grown in the U.S. and Europe are infected with a disease that, unlike most plant diseases, actually makes these plants more attractive.

12/4/2007 - Ask the Iowa State University Extension Experts
Learn how to root the top of a pineapple, prevent snow and ice damage to trees and shrubs and whether to remove snow from the evergreens in your yard.

12/2/2007 - Forcing Amaryllis and Paperwhite Narcissus Indoors
Bring a touch of summer into your wintry home by tricking amaryllis and paperwhite narcissus bulbs into blooming.

10/29/2007 - Dr. Grow-It-All Prepares Roses and Strawberries for Winter
This week the Iowa State University Extension Garden Column offers tips on putting roses and strawberries to bed for the winter.

10/24/2007 - Ask the ISU Extension Experts
This week the experts explain why it isn't a good idea to apply salt to an asparagus planting, the differences between corms, tubers and bulbs and when to transplant azaleas.
 
10/23/2007 - Stress is a Tree Killer
Stresses in trees may be caused by natural factors and conditions or through the activities of man or animals.
 
10/17/2007 - Ask the ISU Extension Experts
This week's column offers information on whether white fruited pumpkins are edible, the origin of sawdust next to a tree, the best way to overwinter elephant's ear and a fall-blooming shrub.
 
10/10/2007 - Ask the ISU Extension Experts
This week's column offers advice on when to cut back ornamental grasses, how long to water new trees, when to remove leaves from a lawn and when to apply herbicide to a lawn
 
10/8/2007 - Why Ever is My Evergreen Brown?
Just when the oak trees lose their leaves, most evergreens also drop needles — but not all of them.
 

Contacts :
Richard Jauron, Horticulture, (515) 294-1871, rjauron@iastate.edu

Jean McGuire, Extension Communications and Marketing, (515) 294-7033, jmcguire@iastate.edu

JB 5/1/2008