Recent News

Winning Flowers Perfect for Your Pollinator Garden

A few All-America Selection winners perfect for adding to your pollinator garden next year include a celosia, blanket flower, and Mexican sunflower. Read more about these winners in this article.

Gardening in the Air Virtual Symposium Returns in 2024!

The 2024 Gardening in the Air virtual symposium is on Saturday, October 19, 2024.  It features presentations from three tracks, including Gardening in a Changing Environment, Edible Vegetables, and Nature Critters.  Learn more about this free educational opportunity and register to attend. 

Summer Foliar Lilac Diseases

Lilacs are suffering from Pseudocercospora leaf spots and other diseases due to humidity and stress. Fungicides are not warranted.  Good pruning and care are key to managing these issues.

Taking You Back a Decade to Highlight AAS Winning Pumpkins, Eggplants, and Ornamental Peppers

We're highlighting a few winners from 2014, including a pumpkin inspired by a princess, the perfect eggplant for growing in containers, and a gorgeous pastel-colored ornamental pepper.

Aster Yellows wreaking havoc in Iowa - What gives?

There have been an abundance of reports of aster yellows in 2024. Factors such as wind events, primarily winds from the south, at times during leafhopper migration could result in higher populations of leafhoppers that transmit the disease by feeding.

These AAS Winners are Great Flowers for the Garden

A fire-red zinnia, new 'Baby' series nasturtiums, and a beautiful blooming dianthus long enough for cut flowers are all recent AAS-winning flowers that will be on display at Reiman Gardens next year.

Applications for Fall Master Gardener Training Open July 12

Interested in becoming a Master Gardener? Applications for fall training will be open from July 12 to August 12.

How Gardeners Can Participate in the Iowa State Fair

There are many contests and opportunities for gardeners to participate and show off their skills at the Iowa State Fair.  These opportunities don't require any preregistration and have no entry fees - just show up!  Consider participating this year during the fair - August 8-18, 2024.

AAS Winners are Great Plants for Your Garden

All-America Selections feature Salvia coccinea 'Summer Jewel™,' Zinnia hybrida 'Profusion,' and Solanum lycopersicum 'Chef's Choice.'

New 4-H Horticulture Judging Publications Available

The 4-H horticulture judging publications have been officially updated!  Access these new resources just in time for the county fair.  You can find them at the Extension Store or the Yard and Garden website.

AAS Winners are Great Perennials for Your Garden

All-America Selections features Rudbeckia x 'American Gold Rush,' Echinacea hybrida 'Cheyenne Spirit,' and Salvia hybrida 'Blue by You.'

AAS Winners are Great Vegetables to Grow in the Garden

All-America Selections features Capsicum annuum 'Dragonfly,' a relatively compact bell pepper, Solanum lycopersicum 'Crokini,' a tomato that produces 10-12 plants per cluster, and Solanum tubersum 'Clancy,' a small red potato.

Rainy warm springs can cause fire blight woes for apple and pear trees

Fire blight, a disease of apples and pears caused by a bacterium, first strikes by infecting flowers. During peak bloom in Iowa this year, conditions were near perfect for the disease to spread and cause symptoms. Also referred to as blossom blight, the symptoms appear as though the flowers were burnt, turning orange then black. Colorful ooze droplets may appear on the flower stem and nearby shoots will begin to turn orange and flag. The flagging shoot symptom is known as a shepherd’s crook due to the shape. Pears will turn directly black, whereas many apple cultivars remain orange for some time. 

2024 Periodical Cicada Emergence: What Should You Expect?

Periodical cicadas are a unique group of cicada species that emerge in unison in 13- or 17-year cycles depending on the specific brood. In 2024, two broods, a 13- and 17-year brood, will be emerging, and some regions will experience both broods at the same time. This co-emergence has not happened with these two broods for 221 years. This article will tell you what you need to know about this once-in-a-lifetime emergence.

Proactive versus reactive disease and insect management in homegrown apples

Growing for Citizen Science!

Do you live in Eastern or Central Iowa and want to try your hand at being a scientist and gardener?  Join the citizen science experiment growing strawberries and marigolds!  

AAS Winners are Great Vegetables and Herbs to Try in your Garden

All-America Selection winners featuring Ocimum basilicum 'Dolce Fresca,' a 14" basil plant, Capsicum annuum 'Chili Pie,' a mini bell pepper that packs a punch, and Solanum melongena 'Icicle,' a beautiful white-fruited eggplant.

Master Gardener Plant Sale Season is Here

Now that the weather is getting warmer, plant sale season is upon us! Throughout May you will find several plant sales hosted by Master Gardeners around the state. Support your local Master Gardener group and find an assortment of annuals, perennials, and vegetable seedlings for the gardening season.

What? No Magnolia Flowers!

We knew there’d be a price to pay for those warm days we enjoyed last February and March, and here it is.  This spring (at least on the ISU campus), magnolia species that we’ve come to depend on for an avalanche of April color, sit quietly in the corner with only a smattering of flowers.  What happened?

New Website Launches Just in Time for the Spring Gardening Season

Home gardening information for Iowa State University and Extension has a new home!  Check out the new Yard and Garden website Just launched in March of 2024.