Get Growing Blog
Connecting people with the wonder, beauty, and value of trees and plants.
Most Recent
May 6, 2022
How to Clone a Tree
By Rachel Kappler, PhD, Great Lakes Basin Forest Health Collaborative (GLB FHC) Coordinator
Holden researchers use a technique called grafting to bring trees from the forest back to the lab for study. By Rachel Kappler & Anna Funk How do you study a... more
April 25, 2022
It’s the Tree’s Knees
By Lorinda Laughlin, Gardener
If you’ve recently visited the Arboretum, you may have noticed what appears, at first glance, to be a flash-mob of squirrels convening around Blueberry Pond. Thanks to some winter rejuvenation... more
April 21, 2022
New Research Collaboration Aims to Save Eastern Hemlocks
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 Holden research launched a new initiative this year to help conserve eastern hemlocks. The Great Lakes Basin Forest... more
April 19, 2022
Holden Forests & Gardens Makes Commitment to Mitigate Detrimental Effects of Climate Change
Leading up to Earth Day 2022, Holden Forests & Gardens (HF&G) has adopted a climate change statement recognizing that climate change is real and providing facts and information about climate... more
April 15, 2022
When an Ecologist is a Lab Rat
By Sarah Kyker, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate
by: Sarah Kyker What does the soil ecology lab at Holden have in common with a crime lab? More than you might think! In the soil ecology lab, we rely... more
April 7, 2022
Behind-the-Scenes Spring Phenology Monitoring
By Emma Dawson-Glass, Research Specialist Spring is underway here in Northeast Ohio, meaning it’s time for the Stuble lab and our team of wonderful volunteers to get out in Bole... more
April 6, 2022
Get to know Tom Arbour: Curator of Living Collections
By Tom Arbour, Curator of Living Collections
I’m relatively new to the Holden Forests and Gardens. I started last September after a 20+ year career working for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. In the short time... more
April 6, 2022
Winter Work at the Holden Arboretum
By Lori Gogolin, Horticulturist
Whenever people ask me about my job as a horticulturist, the number one question is, “So what do you do in the winter?” Well, we do a lot of things. ... more
April 5, 2022
Holden Researchers Present at Society for Ecological Restoration Midwest-Great Lakes Chapter Meeting
This past weekend, Alexa Wagner, Emma Dawson-Glass, and Sam Harbol each presented at the annual chapter meeting for the Society for Ecological Restoration Midwest-Great Lakes Chapter. The presentations detailed current... more
March 22, 2022
Save Your Back and Save the Bugs! A No-mulch Approach at the Holden Arboretum
By Jessica Burns, Gardener
Though we’ve made it past the vernal equinox, the official start of Spring in the northern hemisphere, I’ve been around northeast Ohio long enough to know that Winter probably hasn’t... 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
March 17, 2022
A short tale about hemlock trees, bacteria and a nasty insect
By David J. Burke, PhD, Vice President for Science and Conservation
By David Burke, PhD Many of us love our native hemlock trees (Tsuga canadensis). They are beautiful, but more than that, they serve an important ecological role in many of... more
March 14, 2022
Small Woodland Management Manual
This manual provides a shorthand guide to effectively manage your woodlands. more
March 9, 2022
Collections Crew & Excel TECC
By Rick Anielski, Arborist
Last week the Collections crew hosted the students from Excel TECC for a few hours of volunteer work. With their help we were able to clear both invasive plants and... more
March 9, 2022
Hey Cleveland! Grow your own Fruit and Vegetable Garden
By Sandi Cesarov, Horticulturist
Indoor Seed Starting for Beginners As I mentioned in a previous post for Holden Forests and Gardens, I spend my winter months planning out the upcoming garden season. I learned... more
February 24, 2022
Eagles in Town
By Matt Edwards, Animal Care Specialist
As many people know, Ohio’s bald eagle population has seen a dramatic increase over the past several decades. From a low of 4 breeding pairs in 1979 they had increased... more
February 23, 2022
Decoding the scent of flowers
Holden Forests & Gardens Scientist Na Wei, Ph.D., and her collaborators from Oakland University andthe University of Pittsburgh decoded the scent of flowers and its influence on flower microbes. Flowers... more
February 17, 2022
A story of becoming a scientist in the United States
By Na Wei, PhD, Scientist, Evolutionary Ecology Getting a PhD degree is never easy and perhaps more difficult for international students. One of the challenges that many international students face... 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
February 10, 2022
Thinking About Annual Plants in the Winter
By Hilary Wright, Horticulturist
Right now, as I write this at nearly the end of January, there is over a foot of snow on the ground. To keep my spirits lifted, the early months... more
February 10, 2022
Get to know a scientist: Connor Ryan
By: Emma Dawson-Glass, Research Specialist Where do plants come from? No, we’re not talking about the birds and the bees or the sun and the soil. Many of our favorite... more
February 9, 2022
Rebloom, Reuse, Relax- Get your Orchids to Rebloom
By Caroline Watson, Horticulturist
People love orchids. Their unique complexity yet open simplicity make them truly enchanting. Which is why, even though they can be tricky to maintain for the long term, they are... more
February 7, 2022
Winter Interests
By Sommer Tolan, Horticulturist
As the ground begins to freeze and we turn inward, or into a pile of blankets and chamomile tea, certain flora make their way to the forefront of the landscape,... more
January 28, 2022
Evidence Based Gardening
By Connor Ryan, MS, Rhododendron Collections Manager
By Connor Ryan, Rhododendron Collections Manager Lots of plants have problems in landscapes. Perhaps your Colorado spruce (Picea pungens) is losing all its lower leaves. Or your rhododendron’s stems keep... more
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