Get Growing Blog
Connecting people with the wonder, beauty, and value of trees and plants.
Most Recent
October 24, 2023
New Research Reveals How the Environment and Genetics Influence Plant Microbiomes, Offering Insights for Climate Resilience
By Anna Funk, PhD, Science Communications Specialist
The more researchers investigate the microscopic word, the more microbes have been found living in and on other organisms — including plants. These microbes aren’t just hitching a ride; they’ve... more
October 23, 2023
Holden’s Bat Detectors Reveal (Almost) All of Ohio’s Bat Species Live at the Arboretum
By Mike Watson, Conservation Biologist
Bats are among the most fascinating and most misunderstood animals in the United States. For years, fear of rabies, old wives’ tales, and other myths led to the persecution and... more
October 20, 2023
Autumn’s Aromas: The Top 5 Botanical Scents of the Season
By Stefanie Verish, Horticulturalist
The atmosphere of autumn embraces us all, through crisp mornings, fiery foliage, and warm comfort dishes. We can’t escape the smell of pumpkin spice and cinnamon, but the Cleveland Botanical... more
October 13, 2023
Enlisting Fungi to Help Bring Trees Back to Our Cities
By Lydia Jahn, Research Specialist
Mushroom Month might be over, but we aren’t done celebrating mushrooms just yet because October 15th is National Mushroom Day! If you’ve been keeping up with our blog posts for... more
October 13, 2023
Nasturtiums, Yum!
By Sommer Tolan, Horticulturalist
Fall colors have arrived, but nasturtiums are putting on one last show before cooler weather moves in. These are a favorite annual flower among gardeners and add vibrant color to... more
October 10, 2023
Northeast Ohio seed bank wants to make an investment in Ohio’s forested future
By Ida Lieszkovszky, Freelance Journalist, Ideastream Public Media
By Ida Lieszkovszky, Ideastream Northeast Ohio’s Holden Forests and Gardens is the proud owner of a new bank, but this bank doesn’t want your money. Holden’s bank deals in seeds... more
October 10, 2023
What does a horticulturalist do at a public garden?
By Annie Rzepka Budziak, Director of Arboretum Horticulture
When asked to consider my favorite part of working at Holden Forests and Gardens, two answers immediately come to mind. First, the incredible team of people I have the privilege... more
September 29, 2023
3 Mushroom-Based Recipes to Celebrate the End of Mushroom Month
By Mary Pitts, MS, Research Specialist
We have arrived at the final blog post for September’s national mushroom month. We hope you enjoyed reading about our work on soil, fungi, and identifying mushrooms. This week we... more
September 27, 2023
It’s (Still) Poppin’: September 27th
By Ethan Johnson, Plant Records Curator
Autumn is in the air at the Holden Arboretum, and some cooler days and nights have arrived as well. Thankfully, there’s a great number of blooms to enjoy mixed in... more
September 26, 2023
A Story for the Ages Lives On: The Jesse Owens Olympic Oak Plaza Dedication
On Monday, September 25th, the team at University Circle Inc. dedicated the Jesse Owens Olympic Oak Plaza in Rockefeller Park just north of the Wade Lagoon. Elected officials, community leaders,... more
September 25, 2023
Changes Coming to Beech Knoll
By MaryAnn Thesing, Horticulturalist
Since arriving at Holden Forests and Gardens, my team has worked tirelessly to transform West Layer Rhododendron Garden and Beech Knoll. My time here has taught me several things –... more
September 22, 2023
Fungi: More than Just Mushrooms
By Sarah Kyker, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate
As a soil scientist, I love seeing mushrooms pop up aboveground. It’s always exciting to see the variety of mushrooms that fruit at different times of the year. But in... more
September 15, 2023
Restoring Wildflowers to the Forests: Insights from a Soil Fungi Experiment
By Mikaela Lancy, Research Specialist
I’d found myself kneeling in the leaf litter, surrounded by forest, my fingers carefully arranging a leaflet of the small plant before me, my other hand adjusting a ruler to... more
September 12, 2023
Beneath the Bark: Dead Wood Helps Wildlife Survive
By Kate Small, Gardener
As the Collections team breaks down fallen limbs obstructing pathways and fells dead trees when necessary, you will see some of the resulting logs lining planting beds in the Layer... more
September 8, 2023
How to Identify Mushrooms and Other Fungi
By Claudia Bashian-Victoroff, MS, Research Specialist
Let's distinguish what makes a mushroom different from other fungi, and learn to identify them. more
September 1, 2023
Welcome to our new President & CEO, Ed Moydell!
It’s a beautiful late summer day to welcome Ed to Holden Forests & Gardens. Ed spent the day meeting the team at the arboretum and ended the tour at the... more
September 1, 2023
Appreciate the Life Beneath Your Feet This Fall: National Mushroom Month
By David J. Burke, PhD, Vice President for Science and Conservation
If you’ve had a chance to spend time outdoors this week, you can feel late summer sliding into northern Ohio. The air feels a bit heavier, and a bit cooler... more
August 23, 2023
Meet Our Panther Chameleons
By Traci S. Williams, Animal & Plant Care Assistant
If you have visited the Cleveland Botanical Garden this summer, you may be familiar with our impromptu “Creature Features” showcasing some of our animal ambassadors. Featured here are our two... more
August 21, 2023
Holden Researchers Explore an Underappreciated Way Warmer Temperatures Will Impact Ecosystems: Decomposition
By Anna Funk, Science Communication Specialist
In a new study, researchers at the Holden Arboretum improve our understanding of a mechanism for how climate change will impact natural ecosystems. more
August 18, 2023
Logsdon Pond: A Story of Giving
By Mary Lineberger, Horticulturalist
The story began with 2 cousins, Michael and David Logsdon, wishing to memorialize loved ones, and connect people with the wonder, beauty, and value of trees and plants. They met... more
August 17, 2023
Attending the Ecological Society of America (ESA) Annual Conference
HF&G’s current Norweb Fellow, Lydia Jahn, attended the Ecological Society of America (ESA) annual conference this month and presented our research on spring wildflowers in Stebbins Gulch at a poster... more
August 16, 2023
Continuing Care for the Cornelian Cherry
By Finley Dovicsak, Assistant Climbing Arborist
As part of an ongoing work effort from the arborist teams, the crabapple collection has slowly come back to life as a collection. A joyous moment for any arborist is... more
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 11, 2023
Fulbright Scholar Dr. Shweta Basnett to speak on Rhododendron pollinators
By Juliana S. Medeiros, PhD, Plant Biologist
Visiting Fulbright Scholar Dr. Shweta Basnett will hold lecture to highlight global diversity of Rhododendron pollinators and sensitivity to climate change. Dr. Shweta Basnett, Fulbright Scholar, University of Maryland, will... more
August 9, 2023
Hügelkultur in the Core Natural Areas Part 2
By Rob Maganja, Horticulturalist
If you’ve spent any time wandering the Arboretum in the last four months, you’ve likely seen piles of sticks and logs in the Core Natural Areas site in between the... more
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