Get Growing Blog
Connecting people with the wonder, beauty, and value of trees and plants.
Most Recent
August 24, 2022
Playing in the Mud
By Dawn , Senior Horticulturist
If anyone was out in the arboretum’s Myrtle S. Holden Wildflower Garden on the afternoon of July 20, 2022, you might have heard a commotion – a lot of grunting... more
August 24, 2022
Lip Sumac-ing Good: Wonderful, and Edible Sumac
By Heather Wade, Gardener
Peeking up above the Echinacea, Phlox, and turtlehead in the Holden Arboretum’s, Arlene and Arthur S. Holden Jr. Butterfly Garden are the bright red, cone-shape infructescence of the staghorn sumac.... more
August 12, 2022
Bird Banding & Beech Leaf Disease
By Mike Watson, Conservation Biologist
Beech Leaf Disease (BLD) was first documented in 2012 in Lake County, Ohio and has now been found in 17 of Ohio’s counties, 10 states, and in Canada. BLD can... more
July 22, 2022
Holden’s Clone Orchard Vital Research Spot for Ash Scientists
By Rachel Kappler, PhD, Great Lakes Basin Forest Health Collaborative (GLB FHC) Coordinator
At the Holden Arboretum, out behind the Long Science Center, there’s an orchard. But you won’t find any fruit trees there, they’re all ash. In fact, each of these ash... more
July 20, 2022
Hidden Gems of the Forest
By Danny Wylie, Gardener
If you don’t find me in a garden, chances are I will be off for a hike somewhere in the woods. Botany is the core of who I am, and... 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
July 20, 2022
A New Way to Mulch: Wood Chips
By Rob Maganja, Horticulturist
Earlier this year, when still in the throes of winter, we found ourselves with many Lilac, Forsythia, and Viburnum branches lining the Display Gardens from recent prunings, and we wanted... more
July 14, 2022
The Science Lab/ Kitchen Overlap
By Sharon Halkovics, Research Specialist Years ago, I completed my undergraduate studies earning a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health Science. I started down my career path assisting in a lab... more
July 8, 2022
A Morning in Working Woods with Green Corps Interns
By Emma Dawson- Glass, Research Specialist
Have you ever wondered what the day-to-day of scientists looks like? Certainly, daily activities will vary greatly depending on what kind of scientist you are, what time of year it... more
July 8, 2022
A Morning in Working Woods
By Emma Dawson- Glass, Research Specialist
Have you ever wondered what the day-to-day of scientists looks like? Certainly, daily activities will vary greatly depending on what kind of scientist you are, what time of year it... more
June 24, 2022
A virtual tour of the natural areas used by the research department
By Emma Dawson-Glass, Research Specialist Beyond its curated collections, the Holden Arboretum also retains many natural areas. In fact, most of the Holden Arboretum property is made up of natural... more
June 22, 2022
Invertebrates in the Garden
By Hilary Wright , Horticulturist
June brings a plethora of gardening tasks – weeding and mulching at the top of the list. Most, if not all, require one’s hands to be plunged into the earth... 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 17, 2022
Holden Forests & Gardens Announces Appointment of Five New Board Members to its Board of Directors
(CLEVELAND) May 31, 2022 – Holden Forests & Gardens is pleased to announce the appointment of five new members to its Board of Directors: Tera Coleman, Lavita Ewing, Lynn-Ann Gries,... more
June 16, 2022
New Eastern Hemlock Conservation Work Kicks Off at Holden
By Rachel Kappler, PhD, Great Lakes Basin Forest Health Collaborative (GLB FHC) Coordinator
By Rachel Kappler, Great Lakes Basin Forest Health Collaborative (GLB FHC) Coordinator, and Dr. Anna Funk, Science Communication Specialist Researchers across the country are interested in learning more about forest... 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
June 3, 2022
2022 Holden Summer Intern Program
Over the past few weeks, Holden Forests and Gardens has excitedly welcomed the 2022 cohort of interns into the Research, Community Forestry, Conservation, Horticulture, and Collections departments. This summer, interns... more
May 26, 2022
Electronic Herbaria Data Applications, a Prelude to Study Eastern Redcedar Encroachment in the US Great Plains and Midwest
By Hector Ortiz , Postdoctoral Researcher
Talking about herbarium data is like entering a time machine that transports me back to a small room where I spent hours searching through plant specimens that were collected 100... more
May 20, 2022
A Helping Hand from the Community
By Nicholas Chilson, Gardener
With an upcoming project and a desperate need for cardboard we reached out to local businesses, and they delivered.Mulch can be a great tool for controlling weeds in the garden,... more
May 20, 2022
The Spring Ephemerals in Stebbins Gulch
By Sarah R. Carrino-Kyker, Postdoctoral Research Associate
For Mother’s Day this year, my 9-year-old daughter filled out a survey about me. One of the questions was “Why is your mom special?” She answered, “Because she knows almost... more
May 17, 2022
Blue false indigo & Clouded Sulphur
Blue false indigo (Baptisia australis) is a flowering plant in the pea family (Fabaceae). This plant grows upright and makes an excellent border plant for your pollinator garden. It’s deep blue... more
May 17, 2022
Prairie ironweed & American Lady
Prairie ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) is a staple meadow plant, growing tall and blooming in late summer and fall. It is self-seeding as seeds fall to the ground at the end of... more
May 17, 2022
Dog violet & Orange Fritillary
Dog violet (Viola labradorica) is a low-growing perennial that blooms with vibrant purple flowers in the spring. If it weren’t for these showy flowers, many would likely walk right by this... more
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