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Living collections
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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 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 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 18, 2023
Butterfly Garden Bed Renovation
By Lori Gogolin, Horticulturist
Pollinator gardening has become a popular hobby for many people. Where pollinator gardens are both beautiful and beneficial it doesn’t take long for things to get out of control. Plants... more
June 28, 2023
A Trip to Costa Rica! (At the Cleveland Botanical Garden)
By Jacob Conrad, Lead Climbing Arborist
The Collections team recently made their annual journey to the Costa Rica glasshouse at the botanical gardens to perform some much-needed pruning work. This biome requires a hard pruning session... more
April 5, 2023
Wildflower Adventures: Engaging Your Child’s Curiosity in Nature
By Dana Lettl, Family & Youth Engagement Educator
With pockets of color popping up all over Northeast Ohio, wildflower hunting is the perfect activity for everyone in your family. Keep reading for some tips on how to create... more
March 31, 2023
Mapping Plants at Northeast Ohio’s Rhododendron Paradise
By Phil Sturm, Data and Mapping Intern
Progress continues in our quest to map the plants here at the David G. Leach Research Station. For those new to this plan, we are using a very sensitive and... more
March 24, 2023
The Challenges of Rhododendron Research
By Sharon Halkovics, Research Specialist
Rhododendrons are loved by many gardeners for their bright, kaleidoscopic spring flowers. They are special for many reasons, including rhododendron being one of the most species-rich genus of woody flowering... more
February 16, 2023
Planning a Plant Collecting Trip
By Connor Ryan, Rhododendron Collections Manager
On our quest to build high quality, high value, and useful plant collections, we often plan plant collecting expeditions in search of particular plants. Building on some work we started... more
November 9, 2022
The Tropical Taste of Strawberry Guavas
By Sadie Smith, Glasshouse Horticulturist
One of my favorite things about working in the Costa Rica biomes is the diverse array of tropical fruit. Where else can I have a tasty, freshly picked tropical snack... more
October 7, 2022
Science on Friday: Why are there bags on the Rhododendrons?
By Jean Burns, PhD, Department of Biology - Case Western Reserve University
Why public gardens are both beautiful and useful too. Jean H. Burns, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University If you have walked around Holden Arboretum in the... more
September 12, 2022
Growing Figs
By Matt Edwards, Animal Care Specialist
Figs have been cultivated for thousands of years and are one of the earliest plants to have been cultivated. They are originally from warm climates in western Asia and the... more
August 24, 2022
A Prickly Foe
By Lorinda Laughlin, Gardener
I’ve learned many things working as a Gardener here at the Arboretum, particularly regarding the importance of promoting and maintaining biodiversity. Much of what I’ve learned I have tried to... more
July 20, 2022
The Ann Whitney Memorial Bed
By Sandi Cesarov, Horticulturist
The Magic Garden Not everyone knows where it is. It was recently called magical by my exceedingly intelligent seasonal gardener, Mikaela. A day later, our equally intelligent intern, Eliza, also... more
June 22, 2022
The Rose Garden Challenge
By Stefanie Verish, Horticulturist
I knew what I was in for. It is no secret that roses maintain a reputation of fussiness and difficulty in maintenance. When I was given charge of the Svetland... more
June 9, 2022
A Virtual Tour of the Collections used by the Research Department
One of the greatest benefits of being a researcher at an arboretum is being able to access curated plant collections. Often, these collections have a well recorded history and can... more
June 7, 2022
Rhododendrons in Bloom
By Sommer Tolan , Horticulturist
It’s interesting to observe the variation in rhododendron and azalea bloom times from year to year. Especially here in Ohio, where we’re not sure if snow or rain will be... more
March 22, 2022
Houseplant Craze: Monsteras
By Sadie Smith, Glasshouse Horticulturist
If you’re familiar with the current houseplant craze, you’ve probably heard of variegated monsteras. These large leaved, white streaked beauties are in demand and carry hefty price tag. When learning... more
February 15, 2022
Index Seminum, What is it?
By Greg Wright, Nursery Manager
You may not be aware that Holden Forests and Gardens participates in Index Seminum. You may be asking “what is Index Seminum”? It is Latin for “Seed Index”. Botanical gardens,... more
January 20, 2022
Biome Bounty
By: Bernadette Gallagher, Gardener Did you know we grow quite a few plants that have edible fruit in our Costa Rica biome? It is exciting watching things grow and ripen,... more
January 11, 2022
A look back on 2021 in Plant Records at Holden
By Margeaux Apple, Plant Recorder
January February March April May June July August September October November December more
August 27, 2021
DIY Xeriscape
By Caroline Paul, Horticulturist
By the time late August and September roll around many of us start to experience what I call annual fatigue. Annual fatigue is the feeling you may begin to feel... more
July 7, 2021
Building the Collections through Collaborations
By Dawn Gerlica, Horticulturist
Recently a small team of Holden F&G explorers traveled to visit and explore a strange new area to seek out new life. This may sound like a sci-fi show based... more
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