![\"Asian](\"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/mgmetro\/files\/2017\/11\/ladybeetle-OSU.jpg\")
<\/a>\n NEW PUBLICATION: Lady Beetles: Should we buy them for our gardens? <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAs cities get bigger, gardens get smaller and large trees no longer make the cut. <\/em><\/strong>No worries. The plant world teems with appropriately sized trees<\/em>\u201d Eleven new and exciting AAS winners, including a Canna, Tomato, Peppers and more have been selected <\/strong>by All-America Selections (AAS), the 85-year-young non-profit plant trialing organization.\u00a0 Each of the varieties was trialed throughout North America by professional, independent, volunteer judges who grew them next to comparisons that are considered best-in-class. (All American Selections) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2mOVlWh<\/a><\/p>\n Your house is a gigantic bug habitat, and there\u2019s nothing you can do about it! <\/strong>In a recent study, each home sampled had an average of 100 species living in it, regardless of how often the residents cleaned or how many pets they had! (Sarah Kaplan, Washington Post) http:\/\/wapo.st\/2jOQIL2<\/a><\/p>\n Nutritional Symbionts: Why some Insects Don\u2019t Have to Eat Their Vegetables- \u201c<\/strong>While many animals, like humans, consume a varied diet to get these nutritional components, some insects have learned how to cheat the system and can extract nourishment from a nutritionally poor food source through symbioses with bacteria. A symbiosis is a long-term interaction between two different species.\u201d <\/em>(Laura Kraft, North Carolina University for Entomology Today.) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2jwr6Ci<\/a><\/p>\n Learn the benefits and drawback of using \u2018rubber mulch\u201d in the home landscape<\/strong>.\u00a0 (Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott, WSU, Home Garden Series FS163E) http:\/\/bit.ly\/21ll8h0<\/a><\/p>\n What are the garden designs trending for 2018?<\/strong> Each year these designers highlight topics of growing importance in the gardening realm. They emphasize the concept of providing pleasure to people in their gardens\u2014whether it\u2019s growing new foods, providing a refuge for wildlife, or creating a relaxing place to share a meal with loved ones. Fun read! (Garden Design Magazine) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2zou41X<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Wisteria care: Get out your clippers twice a year and go to town.\u00a0<\/strong>(Kym Pokorny, OSU; source Neil Bell, OSU)\u00a0 http:\/\/bit.ly\/2A1k5xs<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNative trees provide more food — caterpillars — for birds than their non-native counterparts<\/strong>, according to a new study with Carolina chickadees in the Washington, DC, metro area. (Adam Thomas, mphys.org) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2B3kRcu<\/a><\/p>\n Tired of Poinsettias? A new take on the Holiday plant!<\/strong> \u201cWhether you\u2019re looking for a host\/hostess gift that\u2019s a little bit different or you want to add some living cheer to your holiday decorations, check out these houseplants.\u201d <\/em>(Meghan Shinn, Horticulture Magazine) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2gEauVz<\/a><\/p>\n The nibble of a green leafhopper is the secret to the sweet flavor and honeyed aroma of an oolong tea known as Oriental Beauty. <\/strong>The bug’s bite sparks a chemical response in the plant, enhancing flavors that delight tea drinkers. \u201c..Getting precisely the right balance of beneficial insects can be tricky. Changes in pests\u2014too many, too few, too early, too late, the wrong ones\u2014is just one of the areas being studied\u2026\u201d (Clare Leschin-Hoar, Tufts University) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2eiWbnA<\/a><\/p>\n The Efficacy of Horticultural Oil and Insecticidal Soap against Selected Armored and Soft Scales study-<\/strong> \u201cOverall, horticultural oil killed a greater percentage of armored scales than soft scales, whereas insecticidal soap gave greater control against soft scales. They suggest that differences were driven by chemical properties of both insect integuments and insecticides.\u201d <\/em>(Carlos R. Quesada<\/a>, Clifford S. Sadof<\/a>, Hort Technology) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2zW542a<\/a><\/p>\n A new set of fossil discoveries show that the<\/strong>\u00a0evolutionary arms race that are forests<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0started with plants that literally had to rip themselves apart in their battle for the canopy. <\/strong>(Indefenseofplants) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2hIxJxj<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s veggie harvest time on the International Space Station. <\/strong>(<\/em>Linda Herridge and Amanda Griffin,NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center) <\/em>https:\/\/go.nasa.gov\/2mQkRug<\/a><\/p>\n Plant colors are not all about pigment. <\/strong>(Paula Rudall, Kew Science) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2zjSqtO<\/a> Houseplants for Low Light Conditions. <\/strong>(Debra Ricigliano, Maryland Grow, U of MD) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2BaMvFB<\/a><\/p>\n Old pest makes a return to Northwest fruit, nut trees. <\/strong>Pacific Flatheaded Borers can kill young trees that are stressed or damaged. (Eric Mortenson, Capital Press) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2iCzjl8<\/a><\/p>\n Monet the Gardener: Life, and art, grow at Giverny. <\/strong>(Susan Stanberg, NPR) http:\/\/n.pr\/2hSMmBR<\/a><\/p>\n The hidden world of seeds. <\/strong>(Adrian Higgins<\/a>,\u00a0May-Ying Lam<\/a>, Washington Post) http:\/\/wapo.st\/2AkOmdE<\/a><\/p>\n Some plants grow bigger \u2013 and meaner \u2013 when clipped. <\/strong>(Diana Yates, U of Illinois) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2BaCKax<\/a><\/p>\n VIDEO: Overwintering Plants in Containers. <\/strong>(U of Illinois Extension, Youtube) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2hKEnDl<\/a><\/p>\n The century long quest to save the American Chestnut may soon be over. <\/strong>(Nick Malawskey, PennLive, Penn State College) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2A0QOmB<\/a><\/p>\n Simple Bacteria Offer Clues to the Origins of Photosynthesis.\u00a0 <\/strong>Studies of the energy-harvesting proteins in primitive cells suggest that key features of photosynthesis might have evolved a billion years earlier than scientists thought. (Jordana Cepeleqicz, Quantamagazine) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2gCYN4b<\/a><\/p>\n Cultivating American Gardens.<\/strong> \u201c American garden-making has evolved over time, shaped by history, social attitudes, the environment and new ideas<\/em>.\u201d Take this special visual tour. (Smithsonian Libraries) http:\/\/s.si.edu\/2BbSny8<\/a><\/p>\n Why is it so hard to swat a fly? <\/strong>(Rory Galloway, BBC News) http:\/\/bbc.in\/2z8SN7h<\/a><\/p>\n Why Insects Make Great Ambassadors for Science Education: <\/strong>\u201c\u2026Sensory experience gets visitors in learning mode and piques their curiosity about science.\u201d <\/em>(Entomology Today) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2gFH0WV<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Horticultural Updates By Margaret Bayne, OSU Extension Staff-retired, OSU Master Gardener December 2017 NEW PUBLICATION: Lady Beetles: Should we buy them for our gardens? (Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott, Home Garden Series FS268E) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2Alv8Vj \u201cAs cities get bigger, gardens get smaller and large trees no longer make the cut. No worries. The… Continue reading
\n<\/strong>(Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott, Home Garden Series FS268E)
\nhttp:\/\/bit.ly\/2Alv8Vj<\/a><\/p>\n
\n(Kym Pokorny, OSU; source Chris Rusch, OSU MG, OSU Gardening Tips.) http:\/\/bit.ly\/2AkgTA8<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\n
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