Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

Website educates public on invasive pest threats

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Although the agriculture community is well aware of invasive pests and pathogens — including the emerald ash borer, sudden oak death, the giant African snail, the citrus psyllid, the Asian longhorned beetle and many others — agriculture cannot fight them alone. These pests can be transported unwittingly by the general public; therefore, public awareness is needed to […]

April Digger showcases creative containers

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Hot off the press, the April issue of Digger showcases the nearly limitless planting possibilities when gardening in pots, boxes and hanging baskets. Click here to read the article (PDF). Other articles in the issue include: • “For the birds” (PDF) — Mike Darcy calls for a common-sense response to the recent controversy surrounding Nandina domestica […]

The way to a Gen Y gardener’s heart

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Here’s another article pondering what it will take to get today’s people in their 20s and 30s to start gardening. Janet Eastman of the Oregonian interviews a young Medford couple that has taken up vegetable gardening. According to “The 20–30 Something Garden Guide” author Dee Nash, whose book is cited in the article, edibles are […]

Researchers: Plants can make complex decisions

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Is the phrase “smarter than a potted plant” an insult? Not necessarily. Researchers at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the University of Göttingen, both in Germany, have concluded that plants can evaluate risks, consider changing circumstances and make complex decisions. They reached this conclusion after studying barberry shrubs that were aborting their […]

PCC looking for landscape workshop presenters

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Are you a landscape industry professional interested in teaching others about your line of work? If so, Portland Community College might be interested in talking to you. The Landscape Technology Program (LAT) at the Rock Creek campus, on the west side of Portland, is looking for industry professionals interested in conducting workshops. Such an arrangement […]

House approves bill creating Pollinator Health Task Force

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As reported recently in the Capital Press (Salem, Ore.), a proposal to reclassify neonicotinoids as “restricted use pesticides” has been removed from a bill currently before the Oregon Legislature. The classification would have meant that only licensed applicators could use the class of chemicals. Instead, the bill calls for creation of a Pollinator Health Task […]

OSU names new head of horticulture department

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Bill Braunworth is the new head of the Department of Horticulture at OSU. (Photo courtesy of OSU.) Bill Braunworth has been named head of the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University (OSU), according to an OSU press release. Braunworth earned a doctorate in horticulture from OSU in 1986, and since 1992 has led OSU’s […]

Portland updates street tree planting lists, requests feedback

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Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) Urban Forestry has updated its approved street tree planting lists. The lists are for property owners, contractors and developers to use when planting trees in the City right-of-way, typically the planting strip between the sidewalk and the curb. Black tupelo (Nyssa Sylvatica) The lists are categorized by tree height, from […]

February Digger busts myths about crape myrtles

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Crape myrtles have been slow to catch on in the Pacific Northwest for a variety of reasons. They’re thought to be unsuitable for our wet climate, and not cold hardy enough to survive here. But that’s not true, according to garden writer Kim Pokorny. Her cover story in the fresh-off-the-press February issue of Digger gives […]

City of Salem pays for tree-related damage

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Street trees have numerous, well-documented benefits, but some misbehaving maples have ended up costing the city government in Salem, Ore. some money. According to a report in the Statesman-Journal newspaper, the Salem City Council there has authorized officials to pay up to $95,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by resident Brian Cooksey. Cooksey alleged that […]