Get Growing Blog
Connecting people with the wonder, beauty, and value of trees and plants.
Most Recent
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
January 24, 2022
10 Most Important Questions about Winter Herbicide Applications
By Rob Maganja, Horticulturist
In the Horticulture Department, we take advantage of slower-paced winter days to do dormant cut-stump herbicide applications on invasive woody plants. There are other methods to treat larger-diameter trees, but... more
January 20, 2022
Birds and Berries
By: Alyssa Zearley, Nursery Technician Berries are an important winter food source for animals. This is especially true for songbirds. While some birds like cedar waxwings eat fruit all year... 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 20, 2022
What’s the (Compost) Tea?: Hot-and-Bothered by the Cold Brew
By: Rob Maganja, Horticulturist Compost tea is one of the mythological potions of horticulture. I can just imagine bottles of it on the refrigerated shelf in Whole Foods, somewhere between... more
January 20, 2022
To Plant or Not to Plant? The Low-Down on Fabric Containers
By Courtney Keinath, Gardener
Over the past few years, you may have noticed what seems to be a growing trend in the horticulture industry. Whether you’ve seen them at your local nursery, an urban... more
January 14, 2022
Mushroom Identification: Results from the Holden Forests & Gardens Mushroom Month Foray!
By Claudia Bashian-Victoroff, MS, Research Specialist
By Claudia Bashian-Victoroff Relative to plants and animals, identifying fungi presents unique challenges. First, the kingdom fungi is extremely species rich. While nearly 100,000 species of fungi have been discovered... 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
December 30, 2021
Winter Birding at the Arboretum
The forests and gardens transition into a pristine, white canvas in winter- an ideal backdrop for spotting many types of birds that spend the winter season on the property. Here are... more
December 16, 2021
Get to know a scientist: Alexa Wagner
By Emma Dawson-Glass, Research Specialist Scientists as a demographic are often viewed as a mythic group—the keepers of knowledge, uniquely capable of understanding complex systems, destined to their career choice... more
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