Pollinator gardening has become a popular hobby for many people.   Where pollinator gardens are both beautiful and beneficial it doesn’t take long for things to get out of control.  Plants can get overcrowded very fast.  This is where the garden bed renovation comes in.  Almost every year one of the Butterfly Garden beds gets a facelift.  A redo.  Sometimes it’s easier to start over.  This year it was bed RPND-3’s turn.   RPND – 3 (Reflecting Pond North of Thayer Center bed 3) overlooks the lower pond on the west side of the butterfly garden.&n ..read more

The dog days of summer feel like they’re here.  The prairies are blazin’, our pollinators buzzin’ and our lilies are burstin’! It will only be eight short weeks before the dry air of September begins to usher back into Ohio.  Visit the Arboretum or Garden soon to take in the best blooms of summer. Cleveland Botanical Garden This week’s must-visit spot is the C.K. Patrick Perennial Border.  Typically a pass through area between the Rose Garden and our giant red oak, you’ll be sure to stop right now and admire the wonderful lilies From the creamy-orange forestlake ragamuffin dayli ..read more

We had plenty of rain this week interspersed with high humidity- you might not think that type of weather makes for good flower viewing, but when it’s cloudy and wet, our gardens simply glow with pops of color throughout. The Holden Arboretum At the Arboretum this week, I’ll point you to our Butterfly garden. While there, you’ll see three important plants for pollinators. First up is common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca. Once a pest, this plant is now revered for its monarch-rearing capabilities. Unfortunately, widespread use of herbicides in crop fields has greatly diminished common milkweed ac ..read more

The Collections team recently made their annual journey to the Costa Rica glasshouse at the botanical gardens to perform some much-needed pruning work. This biome requires a hard pruning session each year given how quickly the plants and trees grow. With vines climbing the glass and trees growing into the ceiling, the team saddled up and got to work. Finley D aloft in a Quercus Virginiana All in all, it was a great (but humid) day of work, the Collections team was able to thin and reduce 6 large trees as well as remove the vines growing up the glasshouse walls. Jamie C excited for his climb in ..read more

In 2006, The North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) designated June 15 as Nature Photography Day – a day to enjoy capturing the beauty of nature through photography and to learn more about preservation and conservation along the way. I may be a few days late for the actual date, but since nature photography is one of my favorite hobbies, I thought I’d share a few recent photos in honor of this day. Observations from Holden Forests & Gardens Nature Areas Holden has many acres of protected natural areas and while not all are open to visitation, as much for the safety of visito ..read more

Our prairie and meadow flowers are really getting going at both campuses. Enjoy a whole new suite of blooms as summer has officially arrived! Holden Arboretum Three interesting and new blooms this week at the Arboretum each have a story to tell. In the butterfly garden, the native butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosa, is now blooming. This low-growing milkweed can host monarch butterflies like its taller cousin, common milkweed. Look for it along grassy roadways this time of year, especially in southeast Ohio. Butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosa In the wildflower garden, our Ohio-collected prickly ..read more

The Collections Team has been starting a new chapter with three new hires in the last two months. This includes our new Ground Arborist (Jamie Christie), a new Assistant Climbing Arborist (Finley Dovicsak) and a new Director of Land and Collections Management (Ralph Protano). This newly formed staff has presented some challenges for hitting the ground but also some great opportunities to innovate and start a new chapter for how we approach collections & land management at the Holden Arboretum. Our short-mowing team has been focusing their work along our core areas and the entranceway ..read more

If you’ve been to Holden Arboretum lately you may have noticed a change in our mulch selection as seen in the Butterfly Garden and West Layer Rhododendron Garden. Most gardeners are familiar with bagged mulch and the ease of use and of purchasing such a product – often needing more than 5 bags, with larger spaces requiring bulk purchases. But did you know that there is a better option? Consider pine straw mulch instead, minimizing single use plastic bags and reducing carbon emissions. Although, I should note that the twine used during the baling process is plastic – not ideal for compost-abili ..read more

Isn’t it amazing how each week there is something new blooming in our gardens?  Our horticulturists have carefully chosen plants to ensure a constant rotation of blooms will be poppin’ each week.  As I’ve walked through our public spaces to write this report, I’ve learned so many new plants – I hope you have too!  We heard a great deal about wildfires in Canada this week bringing smoke and poor air quality.  This also had the benefit of casting an unusual, diffuse and soft light across our landscapes. We saw many photographers taking advantage of these unusual conditions th ..read more

This long stretch of sunny days with temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s certainly makes it feel like Memorial Day brought instant summer! This weekend is the perfect opportunity to soak up some rays and enjoy the latest blooms to flourish at both of our campuses. Grab some sunscreen and a cold drink and hit the trails! Cleveland Botanical Garden Goat’s beard (Aruncus dioicus), Woodland Garden First up on our list is the stately yet whimsical goat’s beard (Aruncus dioicus). This native wildflower lines the path through the Woodland Garden and is just beginning to bloom here in Cleveland ..read more