Every week Master Gardener volunteers write an article for The News Review. The “Ask a Master Gardener™” articles answer gardening questions from the community using research-based knowledge with detailed and educational responses.
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Flowers
Agapanthus can help any landscape (6/6/2020)
Annuals offer color, low maintenance (6/13/2020)
Big blooms can last all year (6/22/2019)
Bringing in beauty from the outside (10/26/2019)
Bursts of summer color (5/5/2023)
Calendula; cheer up your winter landscape (12/24/2021)
Caring for chrysanthemums (11/3/2018)
The charm of clarkia (3/3/2023)
The Christmas rose (12/16/2022)
Comparing calla lilies & canna lilies (3/25/2022)
Corms, rhizomes & tubers, oh my (9/23/2022)
Counting on Crocosmia for gardens (8/8/2020)
Devilish Voodoo Lilies (5/14/2021)
Digging deep for Spring color (9/12/2015)
Decorative with Dahlias (10/14/2017)
Easy care yard plants (Salvia) (9/17/2021)
Enjoy year-round color (9/14/2019)
Falling for bright colors (5/11/2019)
For great daffodils, make sure to follow growing guidelines (3/10/2018)
Good options for container gardens (6/10/2022)
Grow poinsettias all year (1/5/2019)
Have a rosy springtime (3/30/2019)
Helping your zinnias thrive (4/8/2022)
How to get your orchids to rebloom (11/24/2018)
How to make your irises come to life (7/28/2018)
I want to know all about Pansies (7/8/2022)
The long lasting beauty of begonias (4/15/2022)
Lovely, lovely lavender (1/15/2021)
Make your yard a Knock Out (3/5/2021)
Mantids are ravenous/Fuschia care (9/17/2016)
A merry little Christmas rose (2/19/2021)
Miniature roses deserve major attention (6/11/2016)
The most wonderful flower for the holidays (12/25/2022)
No great mystery to wisteria (10/1/2021)
Planning and maintaining hanging baskets all summer (6/24/2022)
A pop of color for spring (3/24/2023)
Preserving flowers (11/12/2021)
Pretty, plentiful and worry free (3/16/2019)
Recommendations for summer flowers (3/31/2018)
Simple guidelines for beautiful borders (2/25/2022)
Spring bulbs all year long (2/15/2020)
Spring bulbs can thrive in containers (9/29/2018)
Spring into gardening this winter – forcing bulbs (11/11/2017)
Tips for growing marigolds (5/9/2020)
Variety flower (Iris) (7/11/2020)
A versatile ground cover (Lilacs) (1/25/2020)
When should I plant my peonies? (11/9/2019)
Why is my prized camellia dying? (7/23/2016)
Food/Vegetables
Advice on growing eggplants (2/16/2024)
Autumn gardening – mulching trees/ripening tomatoes (10/22/2016)
Avoiding onion bolt (1/27/2023)
Beautiful & delicious (Artichokes) (7/18/2020)
Big garden, small space (11/7/2020)
Bringing on the bulbs – onions (3/13/2016)
Celery a garden staple (5/28/2021)
Choose the right onion type for large bulbs (3/3/2018)
Cleanliness is key to homegrown produce (6/2/2018)
Collards grow in the Umpqua Valley (9/9/2022)
Consider a vegetable garden this fall in PNW (8/22/2021)
Culinary herb garden (5/7/2021)
Cultivating garlic in your home garden (10/27/2018)
Elderberries: Easy to grow (7/27/2019)
Entertaining herbs for winter (10/21/2017)
Fall gardens are great for veggies (8/17/2019)
Fall means time for filberts (9/18/2022)
For the joy of radishes (1/22/2021)
Get your garlic on (8/13/2016)
Give your plants a friend (6/20/2020)
The goodness of garlic (10/7/2017)
Grow a successful fall garden (9/19/2015)
Growing better peppers (5/23/2020)
Growing a garden of garlic (8/29/2020)
Growing a variety of pumpkins (4/29/2022)
Growing Brussels sprouts for holiday harvest (11/24/2023)
Growing potatoes at home (8/22/2020)
Growing summer squash (6/2/2023)
Growing sweet corn at home (8/12/2022)
Growing rhubarb in our valley (2/4/2022)
Growing winter squash and pumpkins (9/28/2019)
How to grow hops at home (9/12/2020)
How to grow veggies in containers (4/7/2018)
How to keep plants from bolting (9/7/2019)
How to keep your herbs growing indoors (10/19/2019)
How to pick tomatoes at the right time (7/25/2020)
Indeterminate and determinate tomatoes (6/16/2023)
It is time for planting cool season crops (2/27/2022)
Jerusalem artichokes (3/10/2023)
Jerusalem artichoke, an edible ‘sunflower’ (12/8/2018)
Kohlrabi a weird, but healthy, veggie (10/12/2019)
Patience needed for asparagus (7/6/2019)
Spice up the garden with peppers (7/20/2019)
Not too late to add some spice – Peppers (7/1/2017)
Not too late to plant shallots (10/10/2020)
Pelleted seeds: pros & cons (3/31/2023)
Planting vegetables – soil thermometer (4/20/2019)
Pump up your pumpkins to giant size (5/27/2017)
Should you start a victory garden 4/25/2020)
Spice up your garden with easy-to-grow herbs (3/4/2017)
Start now to reap rewards of fall vegetables (7/8/2017)
Starting seeds indoors (2/18/2022)
Starting vegetables from seeds (2/23/2024)
Staying keen about beans (4/13/2019)
A sweet treat – sweet potatoes (3/2/2019)
Taste for tomatillos/Spittle bugs (5/13/2017)
Tips for great tomatoes (4/4/2020)
Trellis grown squash (4/14/2023)
Ways to save your garden from baking (8/1/2020)
When should I start planting warm-season plants (4/28/2019)
Which Asian veggies are easy to grow? (8/31/2019)
Why grow zucchini? (7/16/2021)
Fruit
Bird-friendly berry bushes (2/2/2019)
Blueberries can answer the garden’s call (5/6/2022)
Caring for low input fruit crops (1/18/2016)
Figs are tasty additions to your yard (5/25/2019)
Fruit trees need attention this time of year (2/3/2023)
Grow fruit trees with confidence (2/13/2016)
Grow strawberries in your home garden (9/22/2018)
Growing cranberries in the Umpqua Valley (12/26/2021)
Growing olives in Oregon (5/28/2023)
Growing pomegranates in Douglas County (12/15/2023)
Growing the perfect persimmon trees (1/19/2019)
Harvest timing for apples and pears (9/24/2021)
How to grow a pawpaw tree (2/29/2020)
How to grow fruit trees in small spaces (6/16/2018)
I’m your huckleberry (10/22/2021)
Meyer lemons – on the sweet side (1/20/2018)
Orchard ideas for apples and pears (6/13/2021)
Rescuing blueberry plants/Pear thinning (5/27/2017)
Summer is melon time (8/6/2021)
Tiny trees, tasty apples (2/24/2018)
To restore or not to restore (apples) (2/1/2020)
When is the best time to harvest pears and apples? (9/5/2015)
Winter fruit pruning and pest control (1/27/2019)
The wrong kind of curls (8/26/2017)
Yes, you can grow kiwifruit in our area (8/18/2018)
General
Add groundcover to stone paths (6/9/2018)
Annual, biennial or perennial? (2/22/2020)
Armchair gardening (11/17/2023)
Ash from fires could help garden (9/26/2020)
Attracting bats keeps your garden healthy (1/26/2019)
Attracting Butterflies (3/22/2024)
Attracting insects (3/12/2021)
Beautiful yet low-maintenance landscaping – grasses (10/28/2017)
The beauty of a shaded garden (10/20/2018)
Beneficial or poisonous Elderberries & Pokeberries (10/15/2021)
Best plants for putting on a trellis (4/6/2019)
Best season for planting varies in Western Oregon (3/14/2021)
Building – and planting – rain gardens (5/19/2018)
The burning question: what is biochar? (3/31/2023)
Buzz about native plants (1/20/2023)
Children in the garden (3/21/2020)
Colorful plants and quirky ideas for a shady porch (5/20/2022)
Creating deeper garden soil (10/7/2022)
Deciphering plant tags (10/13/2023)
Differences in holiday cacti (12/10/2021)
Discover the Discovery Garden (8/29/2015)
Dog vomit slime mold (1/6/2023)
English ivy can be a challenge to remove (9/24/2021)
Euphorbia euphoria (3/29/2024)
Evergreens the foundation of landscape (12/17/2021)
Fall into autumn planting (9/9/2017)
Fan-like ferns are ideal for shady gardens (5/26/2018)
Fern foliage great for all seasons (2/16/2019)
Ferns a terrific addition (10/20/2023)
Fight fire with your landscape (8/15/2015)
Fire-Resistant Landscapes (6/11/2021)
Fire-resistant shrubs (1/12/2019)
Firescaping a unique kind of design in homes (12/1/2018)
Garden beds bring plenty of joy (9/21/2019)
Garden planting time is approaching in the Northwest (2/16/2020)
Gardening for beginners (1/11/2020)
Gardening New Year’s Resolutions (1/7/2022)
Get comfortable with a little mess (3/8/2024)
Get your garden ready in February (1/30/2022)
Going native (with yard plants) (6/15/2019)
Groundcovers that won’t light up (2/23/2019)
Growing gigantic gourds (8/14/2017)
Healthy gardening delivers a connection (1/16/2021)
Heart-shaped plant options (2/12/2021)
Hens and chicks in the garden (8/27/2021)
How does your garden grow? – Soil testing (1/18/2016)
How does your raised garden grow? (4/11/2020)
How to garden with a disability? (4/1/2017)
HOW TO: Choose the best plants (5/3/2024)
Identify harmful plants to keep kids and pets safe (11/10/2018)
Inspire kids in the garden (5/14/2016)
January landscaping activities (12/26/2021)
Keeping a garden journal (11/21/2020)
Keeping up a Christmas fern (12/18/2020)
Ladybugs: Aphid-killing garden tools (3/14/2020)
Made-in-the-shade gardening (8/27/2018)
Making the most of mulch (12/2/2017)
Master Gardener plant detective (7/15/2022)
Mushrooms, a sign of health (12/15/2018)
Native plants for a shade garden (5/26/2023)
Native privacy shrubs (9/8/2023)
Oregon night singers (2/17/2023)
Outdoor container gardening (11/2/2019)
Plan now for a dry gardening season (5/16/2021)
Planning is key when landscaping a yard (7/14/2018)
Plant now for summer color later (5/13/2022)
Plants to stand the heat (7/9/2021)
Potager garden: a mixed bed (4/1/2022)
Preparation can protect plants (8/3/2019)
Protect garden soil before winter (11/22/2020)
Pulling for good health (5/21/2016)
Raised beds vs. in-ground gardening (5/30/2020)
Ready to grow – seed viability (12/27/2015)
Right plant, right place (10/31/2015)
Rosemary has a long and detailed history (9/10/2021)
Saving garden seed packages (11/25/2022)
The scoop on mistletoe (12/29/2023)
Sedums are a hard-to-kill flower (3/4/2022)
Showing moss who’s boss – control tips (2/4/2017)
Shrinking your lawn can be an upgrade (10/3/2020)
Soil’s a lot more than just dirt (8/13/2023)
Solutions for poorly-drained areas (5/2/2020)
Some agave plants grow well in our area (9/8/2018)
Starting a vegetable garden (4/12/2024)
Summer tips for your yard and garden (6/19/2022)
Sustain a thick green lawn with less effort (9/17/2017)
Take control of your moss problem (2/14/2021)
Time to start thinking about your lawn (5/4/2019)
Timing key to seed growth (3/4/2017)
Tips for growing the best ginseng in Oregon (4/28/2018)
Tips on reading seed packets (1/18/2020)
To attract butterflies use food, water, salt (3/24/2017)
Understanding hardiness zones (1/14/2022)
Using grass to spruce up your yard (3/7/2020)
What can I sell directly from my farm (1/29/2023)
What is hugelkultur? (9/29/2023)
What kind of fertilizer should I use? (3/28/2020)
What to do with a Christmas cactus (12/21/2019)
What to do with mistletoe (12/28/2019)
What’s the affect of light on plants (2/9/2019)
Will growing Sunflowers poison soil? (12/3/2021)
Winter care for your jade plant (12/8/2023)
Worm castings improve the soil (12/14/2019)
Worms in the garden (4/5/2024)
House Plants
Breathe better houseplants (1/13/2023)
Discover the easiest succulents to grow indoors (1/12/2024)
Let your foliage flourish (12/30/2017)
Making houseplants feel at home (11/5/2016)
Protect your indoor plants naturally (12/5/2015)
Soil mold in houseplants (2/10/2023)
Insects/Pests/Diseases/Weeds/Invasives
A helpful tool for fruit crop pest control (5/27/2018)
A scale infestation what you should do (7/22/2022)
Aphid can cause veggies to deform (7/21/2018)
Are noxious weeds illegal? (2/2/2024)
Aren’t morning glories a type of weed? (8/4/2018)
Battle of the blossom – tobacco budworms (7/8/2017)
Battling hairy bittercress (11/3/2023)
Be careful of herbicide drift (12/7/2019)
Beware the tobacco budworm (8/20/2021)
Bugs that want your wood (1/4/2020)
Can stink bugs damage gardens? (4/27/2019)
Combating black spot on roses (7/29/2022)
Controlling black spot fungus disease on roses (6/11/2016)
Controlling the Slugs (1/28/2022)
Cottony scale pests (7/13/2019)
Cucumber beetles are not our friends (6/30/2018)
Diagnosing plant problems (6/8/2019)
Dormant orchard sprays dependent on timing (11/3/2019)
Dormant sprays for fruit trees (12/11/2020)
Facing fearless felines (3/11/2022)
Fighting powdery mildew (10/6/2023)
Gaining ground on weeds (7/1/2022)
Gardens face invasion of the spittlebugs (5/16/2020)
Gobs of gall mites (10/24/2020)
The good types of creepy crawlies (8/26/2022)
How to control dandelions (6/27/2020)
How to rid yourself of Invasive Nandina (6/18/2021)
How to STOP the Spotted Wing Drosophila (6/17/2022)
Leaf rollers damage foliage (7/23/2016)
Jerusalem crickets draw the most questions (11/23/2019)
How do I eradicate Scotch broom? (6/1/2019)
Mantids are ravenous/Fuschia care (9/17/2016)
Mild winter means more early crop pests (2/3/2018)
Orb-weavers a sure sign of fall (9/3/2021)
Pest control methods for fruit and berry crops (4/19/2020)
Pest management for fruit trees (10/31/2015)
Pillbugs and sowbugs (8/25/2023)
Plant protectors-Control root weevils with nematodes (9/30/2017)
Poison hemlock vs. Queen Anne’s lace (5/12/2023)
Powdery mildew a common fungal disease (10/13/2018)
Powdery mildew season is here (8/19/2017)
Pretty yellow flower (9/2/2022)
Prevent aphid damage in the garden (7/7/2015)
Prevent wormy apples and pears (7/7/2018)
Protecting against pests (2/18/2017)
A quirky little beetle (7/30/2021)
Root weevils: A gardener’s enemy (8/24/2019)
The Scotch broom invasion (1/21/2022)
Sooty mold caused by sap-sucking bugs (5/12/2018)
Spotted wing drosophila in huge numbers (6/20/2015)
Taste for tomatillos/Spittle bugs (5/13/2017)
Treatment for troubles with tomatoes (8/25/2018)
Wasps are actually good for your garden (5/5/2018)
Watering trees may help defend against bronze birch borer (7/1/2017)
Ways to diagnose sick cypress (10/5/2019)
Weeds unwelcome with veggies (5/18/2019)
What are these flying beetles? (9/1/2023)
What are those bugs? (Boxelder Bugs) (6/9/2023)
What is integrated pest management? (10/14/2018)
What is a jumping worm? (5/21/2021)
What’s that spot? (Tomato) (4/8/2023)
What is this invasive weed? (4/22/2022)
What plants do deer hate? (8/15/2020)
What’s eating my plant? (8/19/2022)
When beetles rain from the sky (2/8/2020)
Wigged out by earwigs (4/28/2023)
Pruning
All about timing – Pruning shrubs and trees (12/9/2017)
Best practices for pruning roses (2/11/2022)
Fancy foliage – topiaries (11/18/2017)
Have a date with your shrub before getting out the clippers (3/9/2016)
Natural pruning of plants (12/27/2015)
The perfect time for pruning roses (2/17/2018)
Pruning or retraining trees and shrubs (9/15/2019)
Shear relief – rose pruning and planting (2/20/2016)
Seasonal
Autumn gardening – mulching trees/ripening tomatoes (10/22/2016)
Fall into autumn planting (9/9/2017)
Fantasy gardening – avoiding the winter doldrums (1/14/2017)
Gardening in Douglas County for the autumn (8/23/2020)
Gifts of the garden (12/22/2023)
New year, fresh starts (1/6/2018)
Perennial maintenance (11/5/2021)
Preparing for winter (11/10/2023)
Preparing the garden for winter (10/1/2016)
Preparing your plants for winter (10/6/2018)
Prepping a garden for autumn (8/10/2019)
Prepping soil for winter (11/30/2019)
Pruning after a heavy snowstorm (3/9/2019)
Red berries – a pop of color (12/16/2017)
Shiitake for the holidays (11/6/2022)
Timely fall garden activities (10/17/2021)
Tis the season for winter planting (12/3/2016)
To rake the leaves or leave the leaves? (11/30/2015)
Using garden greenery for holiday decorating (12/1/2023)
What to do with all these leaves? (10/31/2021)
Use winter wisely – garden tasks/soil testing (1/7/2017)
Trees
Breathing life into oaks (9/23/2017)
Color splash – Japanese maples can add pizazz to any landscape (2/10/2018)
Consider your needs when choosing a flowering tree (3/17/2018)
Getting the dogwood growing (11/14/2020)
Get help selecting and planting a tree – OSU app (3/13/2016)
Gingko trees add color (10/27/2023)
How to care for Pacific yew (12/31/2021)
How to grow crape myrtle trees (3/18/2022)
Hardy trees to spice up your landscape (4/11/2021)
‘Living fossil’ truly is a puzzle (10/17/2020)
Many reasons for abundance of acorns (11/16/2016)
Pruning conifers takes care (10/18/2020)
Time to replace those damaged trees (9/29/2019)
Topping trees is dangerous, unnecessary (8/11/2018)
Tree conks: Beginning of the end (4/18/2020)
What’s affecting madrone trees? (1/19/2024)
Willow trees with a twist (9/19/2020)
Water Use
Another dry year may be coming (2/19/2018)
Beat the heat with drought-tolerant plants (9/1/2018)
Defeating the drought (9/2/2017)
Drought-tolerant trees for your landscape (9/15/2018)
Groundwater recharge in the home landscape (12/13/2015)
Hot, dry summers may be the new norm (9/2/2018)
Mulch and water wisely (9/12/2015)
Tips and tricks to save water during a hot summer (8/5/2017)
Water conservation (7/21/2023)
Ways to water your garden without breaking the bank (6/29/2019)