Get Growing Blog
Connecting people with the wonder, beauty, and value of trees and plants.
Most Recent
November 13, 2020
Our Workhorse Forests and Acid Rain
By Katie Stuble, PhD, Research Chair
Our forests are not only beautiful, but also environmental powerhouses, pumping out oxygen, filtering runoff, and storing carbon that would otherwise collect in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming....more
November 6, 2020
Ecological Paths Through a Yellow Wood
By David J. Burke, PhD, Vice President for Science and Conservation
It’s that time of year when the woods turn yellow – or orange and red depending on where you live – and shine with the vibrance of fall color. This...more
October 23, 2020
Curating a Collection
By Connor Ryan, MS, Rhododendron Collections Manager
As Rhododendron collections manager at Holden Forests & Gardens I wear many ericaceous hats, but at the core of my job is curating the Holden Rhododendron Collection. This role differs...more
October 16, 2020
The Benefits of Urban Trees
How do the cities of today shape the forests of tomorrow? Urban Trees have been getting a lot of attention in the scientific and sociological worlds lately. Trees...more
October 9, 2020
Crabapples: a ripe system for research
Crabapples, the wild apple species and cultivars (Malus spp.), are important members of the rose family. Crabapples produce profuse blossom (Fig. 1) and small fruits (Fig. 2)1. Many crabapples are cultivated...more
October 2, 2020
Science on Friday: the Art and Science of Grafting
By Connor Ryan, MS, Rhododendron Collections Manager
Grafting is an ancient technique of joining two distinct plants together. Grafts occur naturally or they can occur through human intervention. In practice, grafting usually involves the joining of the...more
September 18, 2020
National Mushroom Month Continues – Lessons in Fungal Ecology and Conservation
By Claudia Bashian-Victoroff, MS, Research Specialist
My name is Claudia and I’m the newest member of the team here at the Long Science Center at Holden Arboretum. I’m a recent graduate of the State University of...more
September 4, 2020
Mushrooms: the hardest working recyclers in the forest
By Sarah Kyker, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate
September is one of our favorite months in the Holden Forests and Gardens Soil Ecology lab. Why? Because it is National Mushroom Month. Many people celebrate National Mushroom Month by...more
August 14, 2020
The Joy of Coding: Raspberry Pi edition
When I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in ecological research and education I knew that there were a lot of new skills that I was going to...more
August 14, 2020
Exploring the Rhododendron Research Network (R-RN)
The Rhododendron Research Network (R-RN) was founded at Holden in 2017 to increase collaboration and dissemination of Rhododendron research, to connect scientists with each other and with plant enthusiasts from...more
July 31, 2020
Frugivory and its impact on forest health
By Alexa Wagner, PhD Candidate
Ohio’s forests have changed over the last 200 years. Few old-growth forests remain as much of the land was timbered and cleared for agriculture in the early 19th century. Most...more
July 24, 2020
How does “the early bird gets the worm” play out in plant communities?
By Katie Stuble, PhD, Research Chair
You’ve heard the phrase “the early bird gets the worm”. We use it to indicate that getting somewhere first can come with big benefits. It’s snagging the choicest donuts in...more
July 3, 2020
The surprising way Jack-in-the-Pulpit initiates pollination…
By Sarah Kyker, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate
Some of the most fun stories we have in science are about surprising discoveries. Most people think of these as “eureka” moments. We can picture a scientist in a lab...more
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