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Why are pollination, pollinators, and pollinator plants so important?
Pollination is one of nature’s most important functions; it is the way many plants reproduce. Pollinators assist plants with reproduction; they take pollen from one plant to another. If plants aren’t properly pollinated, they can’t bear fruit or produce seeds to grow new plants. Many plants are wholly dependent on the presence of pollinators to
Barberry
There are many reasons why barberries are one of the most popular deciduous shrubs—they are deer resistant, they do well in full, hot sun, and have thorns that keep animals and foot traffic away. They are dense, respond well to pruning, and are hardy. Barberries are dwarf shrubs that are perfect for small planting spaces.
HOW DID YOUR GARDEN GROW in 2019?
by Jan Cashman 10/13/19 The weather in a large part determines how our gardens and plants grow each year. This year’s weather was unusual. If you remember, last winter was unusually cold and snowy. At MSU there still was 16 inches of snow on the ground on March 31. And February and March were the
Nutritious Blue Berries You Can Grow Here
by Jan Cashman 9/19/19 Ever hear of “Haskaps”? I hadn’t but I found out they are shrubs with berries that are in the honeysuckle genus (Lonicera) also called Honeyberry, Yezberry or Blue Honeysuckle. Dr. Mac Burgess from the Montana State University Plant Sciences department is doing research on them along with other fruiting shrubs that
11 GARDENING RESOLUTIONS FOR 2019
Entering the new year for many of us means making resolutions to do better by exercising more, losing weight, volunteering with a favorite charity, etc. We all have ideas of how we could be better gardeners. Why not make a gardening resolution? Here are 11 possibilities. You could adopt one or two of these for
HOUSEPLANTS ARE BACK
by Jan Cashman Houseplants are back. After years of homes with dust-collecting artificial plants or no houseplants at all, we are seeing a resurgence of living plants decorating our homes. Houseplants give us the satisfaction of caring for something real and living. They purify the air in our homes by absorbing carbon dioxide and neutralizing