Recently I got an e-mail from Dona Pierce, a Cass County Master Gardener who had received a question about thorn apples. She wrote: "I've never heard of thorn apples. A man said they are native to ...

Leaves– Alternate, simple, deciduous, serrate and lobed. 2-4 inches long. Dark green above and paler below. Twigs and Buds– Twigs are slender, grey in color, and armed with an obvious and stiff 1-inch ...

What better time to celebrate one of the countryside’s unsung heroes: a tree, or shrub if you prefer, that’s so common and ubiquitous that it often gets taken for granted. Common hawthorn (Crataegus ...

A beautiful group of native trees often overlooked for our yards and wooded areas are the hawthorn trees. These smaller trees are adorned with showy flowers and fruits that are a delight to both ...

Q: Recently my wife and I went to the restaurant Vinaigrette on Central Avenue, just outside of Old Town, and my wife noticed some trees planted there. She’s a “plantaholic” and was taken to her happy ...

During the season of St. Patrick's Day, one is reminded that Ireland is represented by the color green, and that the nickname the "Emerald Isle" is derived from the plant life of the island. Of course ...

IN RECENT weeks we have shared a collective desire to say goodbye to a cold hard winter, whose biting eastern winds stubbornly hung on until early April. Spring’s arrival was confirmed for me by a ...

Essay Two: Hawthorn Fiona Stafford, Professor of Literature at Somerville College Oxford, explores the symbolism, importance, topicality and surprises of five trees common in the UK. In this second ...