Featured Content

Using Low Tunnels to Extend the Season in Your Vegetable Garden

Vegetable gardens may be winding down, but a little protection can keep the season going. Low tunnels help shield crops from cold temperatures, letting you harvest lettuce, spinach, carrots, and more well into late fall. See how a simple setup can stretch your harvest weeks beyond the first frost.

Low tunnel in the vegetable garden.

Garden Trivia


Q: What is the genus name of the popular holiday bulb with large white, red, or pink trumpet-shaped flowers?


A. Hippeastrum

B. Amaryllis

C. Crinum

D. Lycoris



Read on to see the answer!

Foliage with abnormal spots.

Evaluate Cold-Tender Plants Before Overwintering to Avoid Future Problems

Before bringing tender plants indoors for winter, take a close look for indications of disease. Learn how to spot symptoms of viral infections and crown gall, and why some plants are better discarded than overwintered.

Grow Your Gardening Knowledge, On Your Schedule

Dive into 17 gardening topics, from vegetables and flowers to insects and plant diseases, with the Iowa Home Gardener track of Garden Academy.

Garden Academy graphic.
Terrarium

How can I raise the relative humidity indoors for my houseplants?

As the days get shorter and furnaces start running, indoor air can become surprisingly dry. That dry air can leave houseplants with brown leaf tips and other stress symptoms. Find simple, practical ways to boost humidity and help your favorite houseplants stay healthy all winter long.

Weed Control in Fall

The first frost may have blackened the tomatoes and zinnias, but it's not too late to tackle lawn weeds. In fact, this is one of the best times of year to control perennial weeds because they are actively moving carbohydrates to their roots, making herbicide applications more effective. Learn which weeds to target and how to get a head start on a thicker, healthier lawn next spring.

Weed in the lawn.
Thanksgiving cactus.

Caring for Holiday Plants

Holiday plants are starting to appear in garden centers and grocery stores and it's hard to resist bringing home a poinsettia, Christmas cactus, or amaryllis. Before you do that, brush up on the basics. Learn how to get the most from your holiday plants this season.

Garden Trivia Answer


A) Hippeastrum. The bulb we commonly call an amaryllis isn't actually an Amaryllis at all. It's a member of the genus Hippeastrum, which is native to Central and South America. To make things even more confusing, the genus Amaryllis does exist, but it contains only a few species native to South Africa, commonly known as belladonna lily. So why is "amaryllis" not an Amaryllis, while Amaryllis is called a belladonna lily? You’re right to be confused! Learn more about the differences between these often confused plants in this article: What is the difference between an Amaryllis and a Belladonna Lily?

Other Items of Interest

Yard and Garden Website

Master Gardener Program

Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic

Iowa State Extension and Outreach

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