Hello fellow readers, I visited Kathleen and Andrew in Summit and witnessed first-hand the strength of their dilemma devastating their deck. The wrist-thick woody vine climbing from the ground to their second-story deck was strong and impressive. It wasn’t in bloom as yet, and t

Hello fellow readers, Marcia from Columbia writes, ‘our pink ornamental cherry tree is trans gendering, crossdressing, or something. There are two large boughs with pure white blossoms. What the heck?’ The picture she sent the tree looks like it has a spikey haircut with lots of produ

Curt snagged this shot of the rock garden with his phone on Saturday. If I recall the plant I planted in front of the daffodils is Spiraea japonica ‘Golden Elf’ / Golden Elf Japanese Spirea Hardy in zones 4-9. This yellow leaved cutie only grows to 6-8 inches high and has

Hello, fellow readers, I’ll bet Bridget of Forks Township is not the only one who wants to know what influences the glorious colors of fall. We all know it has to do with cooler temperatures and shorter days, but why do some trees turn red while others stay orange and yellow? Du

Hello Fellow Readers, I visited William and Sarah of Bangor and admired a tree that I had never seen. They called it a Paulownia Tree (pronounced Pa-loan-i-a); Paulownia tomentosa is the Botanical name and is native to China. It’s also known as Princess or Empress Tree and I can see w

Hello fellow readers, While walking Miss Ellie, Lori and Gary of Blairstown were out doing yard work and shared their dilemma of a challenging slope along the driveway. Steep hills can be an eyesore and difficult to maintain. As with any plant selection, consider soil,light, root spac

Hello fellow readers, Michele of Sparta asked how to keep aphids off her newly adopted Knock Out Rose. Her other had been devastated by aphids last year and predicted Knock Out #2 would be impacted. Aphids are small sap-sucking insects destructive to plants that overwinter as eggs and

Hello fellow readers; a beautiful assortment of plants can serve as transition shrubs from the lawn to woodland that can help hide unsightly views. Weeds are misplaced plants. Diane of Knowlton asked for tips to “tame her jungle,” which sounds like weeds could be her dilem

Hello fellow readers, Most of you have decked the halls, but I am late this year and wrestle whether to dig out the artificial standby or go for a much preferred real tree. I bought my standby many years ago to use the times I visited the folks in Florida over Christmas. Some travel y

Hello fellow readers, Several of you have asked what’s going on with the White Pines. It’s true that seeing evergreens drop their needles often triggers concern. It’s kind of like an abundance of hairs in your shower drain. All trees and shrubs renew their foliage every year. The leav