Most of us know that hostas grow best in shade. Between us, even those labeled as sun-loving, get fried by the end of summer when planted in full sun. My argument is there are soooo many plants for sun, why force one bred for shade to fry itself? Shade is particularly important for the blue-leaf... The post June Plant of the Month: Hosta appeared first on Hoosier Gardener ..read more

Some plants are nearly perfect and fothergilla is one of them. I’ve grown two Fothergilla gardenii – ‘Blue Mist’ and the species.  The first one was ‘Blue Mist’, a dwarf type with blue leaves and spectacular fall color. The plant came from a mail-order nursery. It was in the 2- to 3-feet tall and wide... The post May Plant of the Month: Fothergilla appeared first on Hoosier Gardener ..read more

As rose troubles continue to plague gardeners, we will look this week at a few more common problems. Last week, we covered black spot, anthracnose, rose mosaic virus and rose slugs. Japanese beetles. Pretty soon, it will Japanese beetle season, that is if any of the pupae survived the winter to emerge as the attractive,... The post The trouble with roses 2 appeared first on Hoosier Gardener ..read more

Frankly, it’s hard to see or hear the word columbine without remembering the deadly shooting in Colorado in 1999. Rather, I like to think of columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) as one of the first native perennials that I planted and learned about. Not only do I like the Eastern red columbine, hummingbirds like it, too. It’s... The post Plant of the Month: Columbine appeared first on Hoosier Gardener ..read more

As I write this, it’s -3 degrees with a wind chill of about -15 degrees. This unseasonably freezing weather mid-January puts a lot of our garden plants to the test. One that scores all As is Epimedium. Although epimedium might be more pricey than other perennials, it gives us four seasons in the garden – spring... The post Plant of the Month: Epimedium appeared first on Hoosier Gardener ..read more

One of the showiest plants in winter is American beech (Fagus grandifolia). Those are the trees with coppery leaves that catch the light in the dead of winter as you drive along highways and wooded areas. Native to Indiana and the eastern U.S., American beech is a slow growing, big tree – 80 feet tall and a... The post Plant of the month: American beech appeared first on Hoosier Gardener ..read more

Stokes Seeds, with operations in Holland, Michigan, and Thorold, Ontario, Canada, has switched its business to commercial pricing only.  Stokes Seeds, founded in 1881, no longer ships seeds to consumers unless a Canadian’s minimum order is $125, and a U.S. gardener’s is $250. Taxes and shipping may also apply. Stokes has been a go-to merchant for seeds for North... The post Stokes to focus on commercial sales appeared first on Hoosier Gardener ..read more

In keeping with the holiday season, let’s look at juniper (Juniperus communis) for all its benefits. Most of us grow this common juniper as a landscape plant. We enjoy its habit, the blue needles and the icy blue berries. We cut branches to decorate our pots or the mantle. We appreciate the shrub’s value to... The post Plant of the Month: Juniper appeared first on Hoosier Gardener ..read more

Big news for the gardening community.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a new USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map and if you didn’t already suspect, Indiana got warmer. The updated map was released November 15, 2023. The 2023 hardiness map is the analysis of average temperatures for about 30 years – 1991 to 1920. When... The post What to know about Indiana’s updated plant hardiness zones appeared first on Hoosier Gardener ..read more

Like a lot of you, my tomatoes and peppers are slow to ripen this year. The cause? Smoke from wildfires. The atmosphere may not look smoky, but the UV blocking layer is several thousand feet above us.  Purdue University assessed the effects of haze and reduced air quality from wildfire smoke on corn in June.... The post Why are veggies slow to ripen this year? appeared first on Hoosier Gardener ..read more