Plants

Trees that grow well in Michigan benefit from a landscape unlike any other state in the country, since Michigan is the only state made up of two separate peninsulas almost entirely surrounded by the Great Lakes, a position that gives the state more than 3,200 miles of freshwater coastline, more than any other state except … Read more

Trees that grow well in Georgia benefit from the largest land area of any state east of the Mississippi River, a distinction that gives Georgia enough room to span cool, high-elevation mountain forests in the north down to warm, moss-draped maritime forests along its Atlantic coastline in the south. Forests currently cover roughly two-thirds of … Read more

Trees that grow well in Vermont benefit from one of the most heavily forested landscapes in the entire United States, with woodlands covering an estimated 75 percent of the state’s total land area, a figure that consistently ranks Vermont among the two or three most forested states in the country. This extensive tree cover is … Read more

Trees that grow well in Ohio benefit from a landscape shaped by one of the more distinctive geological divides found in the eastern United States, since the last continental glacier flattened roughly two-thirds of the state into gently rolling till plains while leaving the rugged, unglaciated Allegheny Plateau of southeastern Ohio untouched, preserving steep sandstone … Read more

Passion fruits belong to the genus Passiflora, which contains more than 550 documented species, though only a relatively small fraction of these produce fruit that is actually cultivated or eaten by people around the world. The passion fruit’s unusual name has nothing to do with romance and everything to do with 16th-century Spanish missionaries in … Read more

Trees that grow well in Colorado face one of the more unusual sets of growing conditions found anywhere in the country, shaped by an elevation range that spans from roughly 3,300 feet along the eastern plains to more than 14,000 feet at the state’s highest peaks. This massive elevation shift creates dramatically different growing zones … Read more

Pine trees have a reputation for toughness, and in many ways they’ve earned it, surviving drought, poor soil, and harsh winters that would kill more delicate ornamentals. That reputation, though, hides a less convenient truth: pines are host to one of the longer pest and disease lists of any common landscape or forest tree, and … Read more

A healthy cherry tree can produce fruit for 15 to 20 years, but very few cherry trees make it through a full growing season without encountering at least one pest or disease along the way. Extension services tracking backyard and orchard cherry trees consistently report that fungal diseases and fruit-feeding insects account for the large … Read more

Most people picture a cherry tree the same way: white or pink blossoms floating above bright green leaves in early spring. Cherry trees with dark red leaves flip that image on its head, holding onto deep maroon, plum, and near-black foliage from the moment the leaves unfurl until they drop in autumn. Ornamental purple-leaf cherries … Read more

Cherry trees are usually associated with cold climates, but some varieties require far fewer winter chill hours than traditional cherries. These low-chill types can be a better choice for gardeners living in regions with mild winters. Low-chill cherry trees can flower and produce fruit without experiencing the long periods of cold required by many standard … Read more