The month of January, with its freezing temperatures and leaf-less trees, is a time when it’s easy to think of nature as dormant. While this might be true for deciduous trees and hibernating animals, this is far from true for soil organisms.
Author: Miranda Lemmer
Help Our Trees, Please Donate What You Can
We need your help! The recent snowstorm caused significant damage to our collections. Your gift will help us maintain our living collections and pay for the necessary maintenance and propagation needed to help trees survive.
Science on Friday Crabapples Series #2: Crabapple microbiome and what researchers at Holden are learning
Holden researcher Na Wei Ph. D spends her time with the extensive crabapple collection at Holden. She is working to figure out how disease is transmitted and how disease resistance occurs. Such discovery will help sustain crabapple trees into the future.
Sowing Orchid Seeds In Vitro
Orchids are among the most ornamental and diverse groups of plants in the world. We often think of them as epiphytes, growing on trees in the tropics. Many would be surprised to know that there are orchids native to Ohio and that they do not grow in trees. Our native orchids grow in the ground and are called terrestrial orchids. Ohio has approximately 47 native orchid species, and of them, the lady’s slippers may be the showiest.
The Biodiversity Belowground: Celebrating World Soil Day
Each year on December 5th, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations celebrates World Soil Day. Take some time to learn more about soil and its role in the ecosystem.
Bridging the Diversity Gap in Plant Science Internships
On November 18th Dr. Juliana Medeiros was invited to make a presentation about the Holden Research Internship Program for The Morton Arboretum virtual workshop: Bridging the Diversity Gap in Plant Science Internships. This workshop represents the first steps in building a network of science-based institutions that provide research internships, with the goal of promoting and enhancing diversity in the STEM workforce.
Ecological Paths Through a Yellow Wood
It’s that time of year when the woods turn yellow – or orange and red depending on where you live – and shine with the vibrance of fall color. This perennial autumn display represents the process of nutrient recycling and recovery by trees before they lose their leaves for the season.
Global Birding Weekend
Did you know that the arboretum is a birdwatching hotspot all year round? And, this weekend is the inaugural Global Birding Weekend, a new event devoted to getting outside and recording as many birds as possible.
Mushrooms: the hardest working recyclers in the forest
September is one of our favorite months in the Holden Forests and Gardens Soil Ecology lab. Why? Because it is National Mushroom Month. Many people celebrate National Mushroom Month by cooking and eating their favorite mushrooms.
All about Pollinators Series: Moths and Butterflies
Over the past few weeks, we’ve learned why we need pollination and the importance of pollinators such as bees, wasps and butterflies. Although bees are the most efficient pollinators, moths are another group of pollinators, closely related to butterflies in the order Lepidoptera. As a general rule, butterflies are diurnal, meaning they fly during the […]
Top 10 Garden Highlights for August
TOP-TEN GARDEN HIGHLIGHTS for AUGUST Cleveland Botanical Garden This is a walker’s self-guided tour through the Gardens inside-and-out that will help us to discover the magic of local Nature in August. Every month is a new top-ten list! All photos and copy by Mark Bir, HF&G Horticulturist 1. GARDENS WITHOUT BOUNDARIES. Our Gateway Gardens are brimming with […]
How does “the early bird gets the worm” play out in plant communities?
By Katie Stuble, HF&G Research Scientist You’ve heard the phrase “the early bird gets the worm”. We use it to indicate that getting somewhere first can come with big benefits. It’s snagging the choicest donuts in the office lunchroom, or the best seats in the movie theater. And so it goes in the natural world. […]
Exploring Stemcutting Propagation with HF&G’s Connor Ryan
By Connor Ryan, HF&G Rhododendron Collections Manager One of my favorite parts of my job as Rhododendron Collections Manager is plant propagation – creating and growing new plants for our grounds and for our patrons. This is a routine part of the work all public gardens do. We propagate plants to display on our grounds, […]
Exploration of Roses, Family Rosaceae, with Mark Bir
By Mark Bir, HF&G Horticulturist The rose family is diverse, numerous, cosmopolitan. Of its several thousand members are the apples and pears, peaches and plums apricots and almonds, the raspberries and blackberries and all the brambles, the quinces and medlars and mountain-ash (breathe); the strawberries and cherries, the firethorns and hawthorns and loquats, the lady’s […]
Holden Forests & Gardens on Sustainability Defined Podcast
Our director of community partnerships, Sandra Albro, was interviewed by Jay Siegel and Scott Breen for the podcast Sustainability Defined, episode 51: “Urban Greening with Sandra Albro”. Sandra talked with Jay and Scott about how urban green space in cities can help achieve multiple community goals, including stormwater management and equitable access to parks. She […]
Science Friday – Intern program
By Katie Stuble, HF&G Research Scientist As a scientist at the Holden Arboretum, I wear many hats, but one of my favorites is mentor to our summer interns. Each year, Holden’s Research Department brings in students from around the country to join us in our labs, gardens, and forests. These students help us collect valuable […]
What makes a native tree become invasive?
By Randy Long, HF&G postdoctoral researcher Invasive species. The term brings to mind organisms that have been moved around by people, either accidentally or for a purpose, that are now causing problems. For example, here in Ohio we are plagued by invasive plants like garlic mustard, which was introduced by European settlers, that outcompetes native […]
Coding in plant biology, who knew?
By Juliana Medeiros, Plant Biologist I never viewed myself as a math person, let alone a computer coder. I have always loved nature, animals and plants, these are what drew me to plant biology. But somehow, coding has become one of my favorite parts of my research at Holden Forests & Gardens. Looking back, maybe it […]
April is for Arbor Day – Holiday raises awareness of the importance of trees
In 1872 in Nebraska City, Nebraska, J. Sterling Morton had the idea to set aside a day for planting trees to improve the environment and beautify the landscape. On what became the first Arbor Day, 1 million trees were planted. Today, the holiday is more important than ever as people better understand the critical benefits […]
Korean Spice Viburnum –Viburnum carlesii – Discover a fabulous shrub for spring fragrance
By Ethan Johnson, Plant Records Curator While many species of viburnum exist, none are more sweetly scented than Viburnum carlesii, the Korean spice viburnum. This slow growing, rounded delight, grows about 8 feet tall with a spread of up to 11 feet. Flowering lasts about two weeks, starting as early as April 11, with the […]