Recent News

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.

AAS Winners Would Make Great 2024 Garden Plants

March is here, and we are all sowing seeds with ultimate optimism! Do you have your garden planned out? Is every little corner and crevice full? If you have room for just one more plant this year, consider one of these AAS Winners!

What Do Warm Winter Temperatures Do to Insect Populations?

Notes on Pruning in 2024

Learn more from the experts on pruning in the winter and early spring of 2024.

New Gardening Special Premiers on Iowa PBS

A new season of Gardening with Steil premiers on Iowa PBS February 24, 2024 at 4 p.m.  This season features many new landscapes, how-tos, and gardening inspiration from across Iowa.  Be sure to tune in on air and online.

Will Spring Freezes Be a Problem for Fruit Trees This Year?

Factors determining when plants come out of dormancy can be very complicated, and not all are fully understood. Calculating chill hours can be one way to determine a possible early bloom.

AAS Winners are Great Flowers to Grow in Your Garden

Explore award-winning plants from All-America Selections, including 'Magellan Coral' zinnia, 'Cheyenne Spirit' coneflower, and 'Avalanche' beet.

AAS Winners are Great for 2024 Gardens

 Explore All-America Selections winners Helianthus annuus 'Concert Bell' sunflower, Capsicum frutescens 'Buffy' hot pepper, and Begonia x hybrid 'Viking Explorer Rose on Green' begonia.

68th Annual Iowa State University Shade Tree Short Course

From its humble beginnings in the mid-1950’s to its current status as one of the most popular and well-attended tree care conferences of its kind in the country, the ISU Shade Tree Short Course (Ames, IA) is the place to be February 21-22, 2024.

Second Round of 2023 AAS Winners Announced

There are three more National Award Winners to announce from the 2023 trials! Circle in your catalogs, and add to your garden plans for 2024! See the exciting new winners in this article.

New Plant Hardiness Zone Map Released from the USDA

In November 2023, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released an updated version of its popular Plant Hardiness Zone Map. 
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is a standard guide to a plant’s cold tolerance.  Overall, much of Iowa is now in Hardiness Zone 5.  Learn more about the new map and how to best use it below.

First Round of AAS 2023 Winners Announced

All-America Selections has named its first round of winners from the 2023 trials! These winners were all grown and trialed at Reiman Gardens this summer. See the exciting new winners here.

AAS Winners are Great Fall Plants for Your Home Garden

AAS Winners include Verbena bonariensis 'Vanity,' Capsicum baccatum 'Mad Hatter,' and Echinacea purpurea 'PowWow Wild Berry.'

Oak Leaves Flagging throughout the Tree Canopy

A common sight in the Iowa landscape this summer has been patches of ~2-10 dead leaves (give or take) occurring randomly scattered throughout oak tree canopies. Most leaves, however, remain unaffected. This condition (called flagging) does not discriminate between the various species of oak and has been reported on red, white, and bur oaks but seems most prominent on older oaks than young or newly planted trees. Let’s discuss the possible causes of this oak leaf flagging, starting with the most likely.

Let's Talk Trees on the Video Series, The Undergrowth

Have a little fun and watch the latest episode of The Undergrowth.  Sebastian speaks with Dr. Jeff Iles, an extension horticulturist, professor, and Horticulture Department chair at Iowa State University about caring for trees.