Stay updated with the latest developments and discoveries in the world of plants and horticulture with our News Articles category. Here, you’ll find timely updates on conservation efforts, botanical breakthroughs, gardening trends, and industry news. Whether it’s a new species discovery, tips for sustainable gardening, or global botanical initiatives, this section keeps you informed and connected to the ever-evolving plant world. Perfect for enthusiasts, researchers, and nature lovers looking to stay in the know.
More and more people seem to be questioning the time they spend on their various social media channels. The exodus of my friends from Facebook has been noticeable, most of them heading to Bluesky—although those who come back to report say the plant-centric groups there aren’t yet what they are on Facebook. This is why leaving any of them would be hard for me, because it’s all about the plants and the plant people.
The core group of blogs I read is still relatively strong. Thankfully. And I can still waste plenty of time on Instagram, although I’m frustrated by the algorithms thinking they know more about what I want to see than I do.
In past years feed would have been filled by now with people who’d ran the stats and were sharing their Top 9 posts of the year, but I haven’t seen even one this year! So, I thought I’d be the first. Afterall I am a very consistent—if late to the party—adopter of these things…
My nine squares (based on “likes” from my Instagram followers) are:
1. My garden, the peeling bark of Arctostaphylos x ‘Austin Griffiths’ with an Agave parryi ‘JC Raulston’
2. A much-photographed vignette in the Indianola, Washington, garden of Nancy Heckler
3. My garden, blooming Mahonia x media ‘Charity’
4. My garden, ice on a NoID Cholla during last January’s horrible storm
5. Jurrasic garden beauty from the Vancouver, Washington, garden of Laura and Charlie Heldreth, @thehumminggardener
6. A gorgeous tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica) in Jeff Fairchild’s Portland garden
7. My garden, the blooms of Billbergia nutans
8. My garden, the view across the front garden from the driveway
9. A shot I couldn’t resist taking at Portland Nursery. We’d just come out of the coldest week on record here in 30-some years, so naturally their plants were under protection and the tables were empty–but the shot pretty much summed up how I (and many others) were feeling about winter
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Visitas: 0* By Bhavesh Choudhary, Arup Das and Nayan Chouhan It is becoming clearer that climate change is a direct threat to the biological diversity of the planet with aquatic ecosystems being the most impacted biological niches. More affected aspects include the fish populations, whose successful reproduction is highly reliant on the environmental factors. Introduction […]
I was looking for some permaculture design software and came across an archived post from this subreddit, and i just wanted to share what I found in my search. Although there has yet to be a dedicated software developed specifically for permaculture design (that I’m aware of) our good friend and amazing teacher Andrew Millison has a great technique to achieve what most people would be trying to achieve with a design software. He uses a website app called scribble maps to overlay a basic design on satellite view, then he takes that finished draft image and drops it in Procreate to hand draw over it to fill in the details and add artistic flair.
Please click “Continue Reading” for a more detailed description, scientific and common names, scientific classification, origin and habitat, care tips, and photos!
Recently bought a home on a few acres and am looking to add some food sources to the forest. Not planning on taking down any non-diseased/infested trees, but want to add a bit of variety if possible. Not expecting anything to have great yields given the amount of trees around, but some production would be great!
I am facing south when I took this photo. North would look similar, however, our septic field is on the north side of the house and our lot does not extend very far in that direction. I was thinking of trying to plant some mulberry on the north edge of our yard, it that would put them ~50ft from the septic field.
We have a few varieties oak and hickory that I’ve seen so far. Fairly certain there are quite a bit of wild blackberries and some blueberries on the lot, but I won’t know for sure until the spring. Figure I’ll try to plant some additional varieties of those.
From my searching so far, it seems like Pawpaws would be a good option, as they grow well in shade.
Would love to know of anything else, or specific cultivars of any other fruit/nut tree/shrub/vines that could do well in shade. Also happy to plant veggies! Natives would be ideal, even if it is a domesticated cultivar of a wild species.
The is a decent stream a few hundred feet away. I can’t plant right on it but could plant near it.
I have not found any lions mane, oysters, or hen of the woods so far this fall/winter, which has surprised me. I usually find several pounds a year on my in law’s property 5-10 minutes away.
Planning to inoculate some logs and distribute them through the forest to try and get some more mushrooms growing in the area
Beyond its rides, characters and attractions, Walt Disney World is one of the largest gardens in the world with more than 40 square miles of plant displays. Walt Disney alway considered landscaping as an integral element of the park. When planning Disneyland in California, he traveled to Europe several times and brought home notebooks filled with inspiration and gardening techniques. He was particularly impressed with Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens, and wanted his own parks to overflow with beautiful flowers and color. As a result, floriculture and horticulture have been big features at each of the Disney parks.
To build Walt Disney World, Walt acquired 27,000 acres of mostly swampland and scrub forest in Orlando. The site needed massive improvement before the resort could be built. Thousands of workers moved 8 million cubic yards of soil and built 55 miles of levees and canals to create a blank slate for the design of the landscape.
Each park’s landscape design and accompanying plants serve many purposes and have many distinctive styles. Some, such as Victoria Gardens at Canada in Epcot’s World Showcase, are attractions in their own rights. Most of the gardens function as beautiful set designs, enhancing the theme of each park with their selection of plants, color, layout and accessories. Each park has a style that is carefully orchestrated–whether it is the turn-of-the-century, small-town America style of Main Street USA in The Magic Kingdom, or the relaxed vibe and tropical, lush plantings of Typhoon Lagoon. Much of Animal Kingdom evokes the landscapes Asia, with plants and cultural elements from India, Tibet, Thailand and many other countries.
Nowhere are the landscapes more varied than at Epcot, where each of the pavilions in the World Showcase features plants and designs that reflect its country of origin. Whenever possible, plants native to each country are used, whether it is olive trees in Italy, or Japanese maples in Japan. The landscape design and architectural features truly make you feel like you have stepped into another country—whether it is the Shakespeare parterre with a bust of the poet in Britain; or a pond encircled with bamboo and panda topiaries in China; or Future World’s sweeping geometric beds of brightly colored flowers that underscore the contemporary style of Spaceship Earth.
Many of the plantings have practical purposes as well. Tall trees provide a shady respite from the sun, and groupings of plants screen unwanted views and distractions. Islands of plantings direct traffic throughout the park, and provide privacy and cozy enclosures for dining and relaxation.
When you look at Disney World’s statistics, the size of the operation becomes evident. Between 700 and 800 horticultural professionals tend 3.5 million bedding plants, herbs and vegetables, and care for the 175,000 trees, 4 million shrubs, 13,000 rose bushes, and 800 hanging baskets. They create more than 200 pieces of topiary, from traditionally sculpted hedges to fanciful three-dimensional Disney characters. The plants come from about 50 countries and every continent except Antarctica.
The work of the horticultural team goes far beyond the creation of the beautiful landscapes. The team also grows food for the guests in The Land Pavilion, testing new techniques and growing a whopping 30 tons of fruits, vegetables and herbs that are served in Disney World restaurants and donated to local food banks. They also select and tend plants for the animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and make sure that the horticulture in these locations is edible, safe and palatable for the animals living there. With 2,000 acres of grass that needs to be pristine at all times, there are staff members dedicated to mowing and fertilizing these extensive lawns. Disney World horticulturists also partner with The University of Florida to explore new techniques in horticulture and conservation for responsible stewardship of the landscape.
An excellent time for visit Disney World is during the annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, which typically runs from March through May. The three-month spectacle features additional gardens and topiaries, outdoor kitchens with special foods, and talks and activities centered around home gardening. Epcot also features the Living with the Land attraction, a gentle boat tour through multimedia agricultural displays and the four working greenhouse of The Land Pavilion. You can also take the Behind the Seeds Tour here to discover the Disney’s innovative gardening techniques.
