Beth Botts – Page 13 –

In coming weeks the 17-year cicadas will die off, leaving a bounty of fertilizer for gardens and plants. (Beth Botts / The Morton Arboretum)

Tidy up your garden after cicada invasion

June 14, 2024 at 6:13 p.m.

As the great cicada emergence of 2024 nears its end, it’s time to tidy up and give thanks. “Overall, a cicada emergence is probably a good thing for gardens,” said...

The nymphs of spotted lanternfly are red and black with white spots in their final immature stage before they become flying adults. In earlier stages they are black with white spots. (Richard Gardner / Bugwood.org)

Spotted insects are truly bad news

June 2, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Most likely, cicadas — noisy but harmless — are the only bugs you’ve been thinking about this spring. Meanwhile, another insect that is more threatening to trees and plants may...

Carolina allspice is a late-spring-blooming shrub with unusual maroon flowers that have a sweet, fruity fragrance. (John Hagstrom / The Morton Arboretum)

Try these shrubs to keep the bloom in your garden going

May 26, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Flowering shrubs can bring color, interest and fragrance to your garden even after the spring-blooming forsythia, viburnums and lilacs have had their day. “There doesn’t need to be a lull...

Consider the weather forecast and the needs of each type of plant before deciding when to plant them outdoors. For example, tender annuals such as these tuberous begonias should not be planted until the danger of frost is well past. (Beth Botts / The Morton Arboretum)

Planting time depends on forecast, plant type

May 19, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Is it time to plant the garden? Maybe. “Spring weather is so variable that it pays to be very careful,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum...

To make sure you get plenty of glorious daffodils and other colorful delights next spring, don’t cut back the leaves of spring-flowering bulbs after they bloom. The plants need their leaves to build next year’s flowers. (Beth Botts)

Let bulb plants keep their leaves to make next year’s flowers

May 11, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Most spring-blooming bulbs are now finished flowering. To ensure you will have a nice bulb show next spring, resist any temptation to cut back the foliage of bulb plants such...

To protect a young tree from damage by egg-laying cicadas, wrap it in fine-mesh netting as soon as possible. Remove the netting in a few weeks when the cicadas from this year’s emergence have died. (Beth Botts)

Protect your young trees from incoming cicadas

May 5, 2024 at 8:47 a.m.

The Arboretum does not advise that homeowners use insecticides to attempt to control cicadas.

When you plant a tree, use the handle of a tool to make sure that the spot where the trunk flares out into the roots is at or slightly above the level of the surrounding soil. (Jeffrey Ross / The Morton Arboretum)

Celebrate Arbor Day by planting a tree

April 28, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

So you want to beautify your landscape, improve your community, or celebrate Arbor Day by planting a tree. What could go wrong? Quite a bit, if you make some common...

Piling mulch against the trunk of a tree like this can be harmful. Instead, spread it in a wide, flat layer over the soil, which does a world of good for trees and other plants. (Beth Botts)

Spread mulch evenly for plants’ benefit

April 21, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Applying mulch is one of the easiest and best ways to help your trees and other plants, but doing it the wrong way can lead to trouble. “Mulch should be...

Before transplanting a shrub to a new location, plan carefully so that you only have to move the plant once to minimize stress on the plant and give it the best chance to thrive. (Beth Botts / The Morton Arboretum)

Think ahead before transplanting shrubs

April 13, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

When it comes to transplanting shrubs or small trees, the first rule is: Plan first, so you only have to do it once. “Plants can’t stand to be moved repeatedly,”...

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria candensis) is one of the early spring wildflowers that may do well in gardens in a shady spot with light soil rich in organic matter. (Beth Botts)

Wildflowers sparkle in spring woods

April 6, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

You can bring a taste of the forest to your garden by planting a few of the wildflowers that bloom in spring in our native woods. Many woodland plants flower...

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