Get Growing Blog
Connecting people with the wonder, beauty, and value of trees and plants.
Most Recent
September 27, 2023
It’s (Still) Poppin’: September 27th
By Ethan Johnson, Plant Records Curator
Autumn is in the air at the Holden Arboretum, and some cooler days and nights have arrived as well. Thankfully, there’s a great number of blooms to enjoy mixed in...more
September 26, 2023
A Story for the Ages Lives On: The Jesse Owens Olympic Oak Plaza Dedication
On Monday, September 25th, the team at University Circle Inc. dedicated the Jesse Owens Olympic Oak Plaza in Rockefeller Park just north of the Wade Lagoon. Elected officials, community leaders,...more
September 25, 2023
Changes Coming to Beech Knoll
By MaryAnn Thesing, Horticulturalist
Since arriving at Holden Forests and Gardens, my team has worked tirelessly to transform West Layer Rhododendron Garden and Beech Knoll. My time here has taught me several things –...more
September 22, 2023
Fungi: More than Just Mushrooms
By Sarah Kyker, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate
As a soil scientist, I love seeing mushrooms pop up aboveground. It’s always exciting to see the variety of mushrooms that fruit at different times of the year. But in...more
September 15, 2023
Restoring Wildflowers to the Forests: Insights from a Soil Fungi Experiment
By Mikaela Lancy, Research Specialist
I’d found myself kneeling in the leaf litter, surrounded by forest, my fingers carefully arranging a leaflet of the small plant before me, my other hand adjusting a ruler to...more
September 12, 2023
Beneath the Bark: Dead Wood Helps Wildlife Survive
By Kate Small, Gardener
As the Collections team breaks down fallen limbs obstructing pathways and fells dead trees when necessary, you will see some of the resulting logs lining planting beds in the Layer...more
September 8, 2023
How to Identify Mushrooms and Other Fungi
By Claudia Bashian-Victoroff, MS, Research Specialist
Let's distinguish what makes a mushroom different from other fungi, and learn to identify them.
September 1, 2023
Welcome to our new President & CEO, Ed Moydell!
It’s a beautiful late summer day to welcome Ed to Holden Forests & Gardens. Ed spent the day meeting the team at the arboretum and ended the tour at the...more
September 1, 2023
Appreciate the Life Beneath Your Feet This Fall: National Mushroom Month
By David J. Burke, PhD, Vice President for Science and Conservation
If you’ve had a chance to spend time outdoors this week, you can feel late summer sliding into northern Ohio. The air feels a bit heavier, and a bit cooler...more
August 23, 2023
Meet Our Panther Chameleons
By Traci S. Williams, Animal & Plant Care Assistant
If you have visited the Cleveland Botanical Garden this summer, you may be familiar with our impromptu “Creature Features” showcasing some of our animal ambassadors. Featured here are our two...more
August 21, 2023
Holden Researchers Explore an Underappreciated Way Warmer Temperatures Will Impact Ecosystems: Decomposition
By Anna Funk, Science Communication Specialist
In a new study, researchers at the Holden Arboretum improve our understanding of a mechanism for how climate change will impact natural ecosystems.
August 18, 2023
Logsdon Pond: A Story of Giving
By Mary Lineberger, Horticulturalist
The story began with 2 cousins, Michael and David Logsdon, wishing to memorialize loved ones, and connect people with the wonder, beauty, and value of trees and plants. They met...more
August 17, 2023
Attending the Ecological Society of America (ESA) Annual Conference
HF&G’s current Norweb Fellow, Lydia Jahn, attended the Ecological Society of America (ESA) annual conference this month and presented our research on spring wildflowers in Stebbins Gulch at a poster...more
August 16, 2023
Continuing Care for the Cornelian Cherry
By Finley Dovicsak, Assistant Climbing Arborist
As part of an ongoing work effort from the arborist teams, the crabapple collection has slowly come back to life as a collection. A joyous moment for any arborist is...more
August 11, 2023
It’s Poppin’: August 11th
By Tom Arbour, M.En., Curator of Living Collections
The beginning of school is near- how is that possible? We’ve reached the summer peak! Our gardens that attract pollinators across our campuses are THE places to be as summer...more
August 11, 2023
Fulbright Scholar Dr. Shweta Basnett to speak on Rhododendron pollinators
By Juliana S. Medeiros, PhD, Plant Biologist
Visiting Fulbright Scholar Dr. Shweta Basnett will hold lecture to highlight global diversity of Rhododendron pollinators and sensitivity to climate change. Dr. Shweta Basnett, Fulbright Scholar, University of Maryland, will...more
August 9, 2023
Hügelkultur in the Core Natural Areas Part 2
By Rob Maganja, Horticulturalist
If you’ve spent any time wandering the Arboretum in the last four months, you’ve likely seen piles of sticks and logs in the Core Natural Areas site in between the...more
August 8, 2023
A Seed Station for Forest Restoration
By Anna Funk, Science Communications Specialist
Holden’s new seed bank project forms the core of new climate-fighting reforestation efforts across the region. In December, a crane dropped a fully loaded shipping container into the Holden Arboretum....more
August 4, 2023
16 Thriving Summer Plants at the Cleveland Botanical Garden
By David Lardakis, Marketing Specialist
Today, I strolled through just a fraction of our outdoor gardens, and came across more blooms, stunning greenery, and pollinators than I could keep track of. For your sake, I...more
August 1, 2023
Rescuing Edible and Medicinal Plants
By Aisha Zungu, Woodland Community Forestry Intern
Summer is a flowering and fruiting time when many of the bushes and shrubs come to life with their colors and fruits. Summer is also a time of change for...more
July 31, 2023
Late Summer Maintenance to Keep Your Garden Flourishing
By Rob Dzurec, Horticulturalist
As the scorching days of summer gradually give way to the cooler nights of late summer, gardeners find themselves amidst a pivotal period for garden maintenance. Late summer is a...more
July 28, 2023
It’s Poppin’: July 28th
By Tom Arbour, M.En., Curator of Living Collections
At the Garden this week, Asia Armour’s “Art in Bloom” display continues to look spectacular. As it grows, this palette of Coleus and Geranium just keeps looking better. On a...more
July 28, 2023
Analyzing Wildflower Phenology Across Botanical Gardens
By Chelsea Miller, PhD, Ecologist
In addition to being beautiful public greenspaces, botanical gardens and arboreta house valuable biological information. These living museums present a unique opportunity for scientists in the form of ready-made experimental...more
July 26, 2023
Holden Researcher Will Study How Microbes Alter How Plants Respond to Climate Change with Prestigious Award from the NSF
By Anna Funk, Science Communications Specialist
There’s an entire universe of microscopic life, living in us, on us, and all around us, too small for the naked eye to see. The more researchers learn about these...more
July 25, 2023
Bird Banding at the Holden Arboretum
By Mike Watson, Conservation Biologist
Biologists use many tools to study birds and their behavior – binoculars, cameras, automatic recorders – but one of the simplest tools is the leg band. Leg bands have been...more
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