Month: June 2011

What Happens to the Horticulturist?

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to talk with a professor in the agronomy department who’s going to be retiring very soon.  We talked about education and field trials, corn and trees, and then we started talking about the future of our departments.  Both of us are concerned that this generation of horticulturists (and agronomists—but I’m just going to deal with horticulture here) will be the last.

Over the last 10 or so years we have been losing horticulture departments. … Continue reading this article “What Happens to the Horticulturist?”

A Garden Professor migrates east, albeit briefly

I was AWOL last week, as I had 3 presentations to get ready for 3 different states all in the span of 4 days.  Yow!  But they are over and done, and I’ll try to keep up on the blog from now on.

This is a short but amusing post (to me anyway).  My second talk was in Virginia, where I spoke to Master Gardeners at their annual conference.  The speaker right before my talk was fellow GP Holly Scoggins. … Continue reading this article “A Garden Professor migrates east, albeit briefly”

Does native matter?

We’ve had lots of lively discussion on my post regarding the Mark Davis et al. comment in Nature on natives and exotics. I have been traveling and otherwise occupied and have not had a chance to comment so I feel a little like the kid that kicked the anthill and then ran away. Fortunately, Holly was gracious enough to forego her post today (I promise to return the favor, Holly!) so I can chime back in.… Continue reading this article “Does native matter?”

Imprelis damage to landscape conifers

Herbicide issues seem to be dominating my life these days. Over the past several weeks reports have surfaced around the Midwest of landscape conifers – primarily spruces and pines – that have developed rapid and severe die-back. While there are a host of insect pests and pathogens that can cause die-back in conifers, the recent cases are noteworthy in the speed with which trees expressed symptoms.

 


Photos: Andy and Carol Duvall

In many cases that have been reported the common thread appears to be the use of Imprelis, a turf herbicide developed and marketed by Dupont.  … Continue reading this article “Imprelis damage to landscape conifers”

Excerpt from Davis et al. letter to Nature on natives vs aliens

In yesterday’s post I linked to a letter in Nature by Mark Davis and a number of other ecologists on the role and native and alien plants.  Unfortunately the journal requires a subscription.   Copyright laws prevent me from re-printing the entire article, however, below is an excerpt from the conclusion, which I think captures most of their message.

“Most human and natural communities now consist both of long-term residents and of new arrivals, and ecosystems are emerging that never existed before.… Continue reading this article “Excerpt from Davis et al. letter to Nature on natives vs aliens”

Ecologists weigh in on native-exotic debate

Charlie Rohwer, a frequent guest contributor to the Garden Professors, brought to my attention a recent letter in Nature by Mark Davis and 18 other ecologist entitled, “Don’t judge species on their origins.” Davis is a leading authority on invasive species and author the book Invasion Biology. In their article, Davis and his co-authors make many of the same points that I’ve made here on the blog (Are natives the answer? Dec. 14, 2009; Restoration ecologists you need us – part 2.… Continue reading this article “Ecologists weigh in on native-exotic debate”

Gigantic hostas

I know Friday’s puzzle was a bit too easy – but I needed some way to discuss the giant hostas we have in our landscape this year:

We have had a very wet and cold spring.  While it was misery for us above-ground types, the plants absolutely loved the abundant water.  When the leaves open and expand on these continually-watered plants, they reach maximum size.  The hosta leaves in this photo aren’t the size of dinner plates – they’re more like turkey platters.… Continue reading this article “Gigantic hostas”

One Of The Best Pictures I’ve Seen

Yesterday Jeff Hahn, an entomologist here at UMN (and author of the book Insects of the NorthWoods — a great field guide for Wisconsin and Minnesota), sent me a picture which reminded me of the dark ages and the methods that leaders of the past used to scare and intimidate their subjects as well as possible invaders.
 

This picture came to Jeff by way of Terry Straub, a Program Coordinator for Master Gardeners in Hennepin County. … Continue reading this article “One Of The Best Pictures I’ve Seen”