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Flowers and houseplants

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  • Wet spring puts plants at risk if hot, dry weather arrives
    Friday, May 17, 2013
    COLUMBIA, Mo. – The excessive spring rains could put plants at risk when Missouri weather turns dry and hot.
  • Beginning gardening
    Monday, May 13, 2013
    COLUMBIA, Mo. – It could be the memory of shelling peas with your grandmother or a desire for fragrant flowers. It could be as simple as wanting to shave a bit off your food bill. Whatever the reason, you’ve decided to plant your first-ever garden. Now what do you do?
    Media available: audio; photo
  • Spring comes late to the dance
    Friday, May 3, 2013
    COLUMBIA, Mo. – Talk about being all dressed up with nowhere to go. Too many Missouri gardeners are watching spring days slip away because of cool, wet weather, which has delayed the gardening season well past the frost-free date.
    Media available: audio; photo
  • Clay soil: A mixed blessing, but easily corrected
    Monday, April 29, 2013
    KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – You dig your first spadeful of soil in your new garden and discover you have a shovel full of clay.
    Media available: audio; photo
  • Getting ready to grow
    Friday, March 29, 2013
    KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Winter is the time when Mother Nature slumbers. Spring is when plants, trees and gardens begin to wake up. So as the greenery rubs the sleep from its eyes and readies for the growing season, there are chores you need to do.
    Media available: audio; photo
  • Planting wonderful sweet peas
    Tuesday, March 19, 2013
    MARBLE HILL, Mo. – Most people don’t think about planting flowers until May, but don't wait until then if you want to grow sweet peas, notes a University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.
  • New varieties can add spark to flower beds
    Friday, March 15, 2013
    COLUMBIA, Mo. –Petunias and calibrachoas are colorful garden favorites, but they have a reputation for not tolerating heat very well. However, recent years have seen the development of new varieties that are better equipped to withstand summer in the Show-Me State.
    Media available: photo
  • Using cold frames and hotbeds for a longer growing season
    Friday, March 15, 2013
    COLUMBIA, Mo. – February played a dirty trick when winter storms dumped a lot of snow on the ground. Green-thumb enthusiasts hoping for an early start on their gardens had to wait for a thaw. But there are ways to help hasten the arrival of the gardening season even when the weather isn’t cooperating.
    Media available: photo
  • Helping your soil be all it can be
    Tuesday, March 12, 2013
    KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The earth beneath your feet may seem ordinary and benign. It’s anything but. Good soil can mean the difference between a garden that thrives and one that struggles and dies. Plants depend on soil for water, nutrients, minerals and even physical support.
    Media available: photos
  • Get a jump on spring gardening
    Wednesday, March 6, 2013
    COLUMBIA, Mo. – Gardeners willing to put in a bit of effort can jump-start this year’s vegetable or flower garden by starting seeds indoors.
    Media available: photo; video
  • Germination 101
    Friday, March 1, 2013
    Cut open a seed and you’ll see a miracle. A tiny, embryonic plant waits inside, ready to break free of its seed coat, grow roots and push up through the soil.
    Media available: photo
  • Container gardening: Thrillers, fillers and spillers
    Friday, March 1, 2013
    COLUMBIA, Mo.– If you’re yearning to grow flowers or vegetables but are short on space or have limited mobility, University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein suggests giving container gardening a try.
    Media available: photo
  • Practice good garden hygiene by sanitizing tools
    Friday, March 1, 2013
    COLUMBIA, Mo.– Just like surgeons and dentists, gardeners should work with clean tools. Sanitizing garden tools between uses will lower the risk of spreading diseases from one plant to another, says a University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.
    Media available: photo
  • Hostas: Emperors of the Shade
    Friday, March 1, 2013
    COLUMBIA, Mo. —Few plants adds more interest to shady areas than hostas. Native to the Orient, where they were discovered as early as the eighth century, hostas are low-maintenance, winter-hardy perennials that can grow in the shade. Their leaves come in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and variegation, according to University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist David Trinklein.
    Media available: photo
  • Pansy: A flower to welcome spring
    Friday, March 1, 2013
    COLUMBIA, Mo.–There is no more popular cool-season flower than the delicately fragranced pansy.
    Media available: photos
  • Practice patience when preparing garden soil
    Friday, March 1, 2013
    COLUMBIA, Mo.– Spring is almost here, but gardeners shouldn’t be too quick to start working the soil, says a University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.
    Media available: photo
  • African violets help chase away winter blues
    Wednesday, February 13, 2013
    COLUMBIA, Mo. – If you’ve got the winter blues and blahs, there’s a quick, inexpensive cure.
    Media available: photo
  • Many vegetables grow well in high tunnels
    Friday, February 8, 2013
    COLUMBIA, Mo. While tomatoes are the most popular choice for high tunnel production, many other vegetables, fruits and flowers flourish in the controlled environment of high tunnels, said University of Missouri Extension regional horticulture specialist James Quinn.
  • New app helps you name that weed
    Wednesday, December 19, 2012
    COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension has released a free app for iPhones, iPads and Android devices to help people easily identify weeds in the field, lawn or garden.
    Media available: photos; video
  • The secret's in the soil
    Tuesday, January 31, 2012
    COLUMBIA, Mo. – A healthy garden starts from the ground up.

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