Nikko Blue Hydrangea: Bloom Color, Pruning and Care
Nikko Blue is a classic blue mophead, a bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) hardy from USDA zone 6a through 11b.
What Eats Potato in Pennsylvania, and When
Four insects account for nearly all the documented potato damage in Pennsylvania gardens: Colorado potato beetle, flea beetles, aphids, and tomato…
What Eats Parsnip in Utah, and When
Utah State University Extension documents six insect and mollusk pests that show up on parsnip foliage and seedlings here: aphids, flea beetles…
Growing Roses in Hawaii: Planting Dates, Varieties and Local Pests
Roses can go in the ground in Hawaii in nearly any month of the year, because there’s no frost date to plan around anywhere people garden.
When to Prune Hydrangeas, and Why Cutting the Wrong One Costs a Year
The answer splits by wood type, not by calendar. Bigleaf, oakleaf, mountain, and climbing hydrangeas set their flower buds the summer before, so they…
Rose Diseases in Arizona: What the Climate Here Actually Brings
Arizona’s dry air blocks black spot almost entirely, but it trades that protection for two other problems: powdery mildew, which thrives on temperature…
Growing Hydrangeas in Idaho: Types, Color and Winter
Hydrangeas can absolutely thrive in Idaho, but the state’s dramatic range of elevation and frost timing means the answer changes depending on where you…
Why Hydrangeas Are Pink in Arizona, and How to Turn Them Blue
Arizona’s answer isn’t about frost at all: it’s alkaline desert soil. Most of the state’s ground is loaded with calcium carbonate, the same mineral that…
What Eats Potato in Oregon, and When
Oregon State University Extension documents four pests that actually feed on potato foliage or tubers in home gardens across the state: aphids, European…
What Eats Parsnip in Texas, and When
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension documents a working list of vegetable garden pests statewide, but only a handful of those actually touch parsnip.