The OSU Garden Ecology Lab studies the health of garden environments The Garden Ecology Lab at Oregon State University (OSU) studies the plants, insects, animals, people, decisions, and management practices that either improve or degrade a garden’s ability to promote environmental and human health. An underlying premise of our work is that gardens are important […]
Pollinator plant trials
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Researchers test the value of Willamette Valley natives and nativars Interest in native plant gardening is at an all-time high. For example, native plants were ranked as the top landscape garden trend for 2017–2018 by the American Society of Landscape Architects, and for 2018–2019 by Garden Media Group’s Garden Trends Report. The demand is such […]
Plants for a better planet
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Great Plant Picks program highlights selections that perform consistently in the Pacific Northwest Over the last several years, many areas around the country have experienced prolonged droughts, excessively hot temperatures, and a noticeable decline in the population of pollinators. No one can deny that planting to increase insect diversity and lower water use is a […]
Native tree selections for urban shade
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Approximately 80 percent of the population of the United States now lives in urban environments where trees are both beloved — and imperiled. Estimates are that urban environments are home to 77 percent of invasive species introduced for horticulture and 13 percent for forestry. Species such as Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) and Norway maple (Acer platanoides) […]
October Digger arrives in mailboxes
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Ferns, epimediums and other Northwest natives are just a few of the plants that can withstand the darkest, driest growing conditions (PDF), as featured on the cover of the new issue of Digger magazine. Other stories in the October 2014 issue include:“A new crop of leaders” (pdf) — These young guns of Oregon’s nursery industry […]
November Digger arrives in mailboxes
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The November issue of Digger has been mailed to subscribers, and the cover story this month is on exotic edibles (PDF). Nursery growers are enriching the culinary landscape by cultivating fruit-bearing plants ranging from hardy kiwi vines to sea berry bushes, as well as various tubers of South American origin. Other articles in this issue […]
Get those orders in
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We’ve been hearing for a while now about shortages starting to appear in the marketplace. Here’s another instance of a nursery that’s expecting the supply of material to be tight.
Farwest Week is next week!
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It’s been quiet around here on the Daily Digger blog, but that’s just because we’ve been getting ready for the 2013 Farwest Trade Show, in Portland, Ore.! Farwest is the biggest nursery industry trade show in the West, and it’s still the place where buyers can overcome developing shortages and find the material they need. […]
June Digger arrives in mailboxes
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The June issue of Digger has been mailed to subscribers, and the cover story this month is on the increasing popularity of native plants (PDF). Growing native plants makes sense for gardeners since they are adapted to regional soil and climate, need little help to grow well, and they bolster the local ecosystem. Other articles […]
Azalea lace bug arrives in Oregon
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Azalea lace bug (Stephanitis pyrioides) There is a relatively new pest in Oregon that can damage azaleas, rhododendrons and pieris (Ericaceae): The azalea lace bug (Stephanitis pyrioides) was first confirmed in Oregon in 2009 by Oregon State University (OSU) researchers after it was found in Washington in 2008. The pest becomes active in mid- to […]