UConn Home and Garden Education Center

Home and Garden Center Launches New Website

The UConn Home & Garden Education Center has been posting weekly blogs on a variety of horticultural topics since 2009. Over the years, contributors have included UConn faculty, staff, students and even a few guest columnists, each providing their unique takes on what’s happening in their yards and gardens, the latest horticultural happenings, ways to […]

Job Opening: Educational Program Assistant

The University of Connecticut is seeking applicants for a full-time position as Educational Program Assistant 1. The ideal candidate is a dynamic and engaged individual with a strong interest in finding horticultural solutions and a passion for communicating with the public. This position has 80% effort in support of the Home and Garden Education Center […]

What is that Brown Bug in my House?

What is that brown bug in my house?   “Those are stink bugs, Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs to be exact. They come into homes in the fall to spend the winter in a resting state. They come in through attic vents, cracks and crevices, down chimneys and can crawl under siding making their way inside. […]

Deer Damage and Control

Deer damage or feed on a wide variety of fruits and vegetables such as cole crops, lettuce, grapes, corn, pumpkins, berries, tomatoes, fruit trees and other plants. Because white-tailed deer lack upper incisor teeth, the damaged leaves and twigs or stems have jagged edges, compared with a clean-cut surface left by rodents and rabbit feeding. […]

Holiday Plant Care

Did you receive a plant during this holiday season? Poinsettia, holiday cactus and rosemary trees are filling the shelves in greenhouses, grocery stores and even big box stores appealing to the giver to gift a plant lover on their list. While they are beautiful plants, they will need the correct care to keep them that […]

Gardening Tips for November

Gardening Tips for November Cut back perennials that were covered in powdery mildew during the summer. Cut stalks to the ground and dispose of them. Image by Dow Gardens, Bugwood.org. Once the ground has frozen (but before it snows), mulch fall planted perennials by placing 3 to 5 inches of pine needles, straw, chopped leaves around them. Contact your […]

Interveinal Chlorosis

One of the most common plant-problems we see in the lab is interveinal chlorosis. This issue can affect house plants and garden vegetables, to landscape trees and shrubs. We often get inquires about the plant-tissue analysis we offer in the soil testing lab as a means to identify various problems. While this is an extremely […]

10 Tips for the October Gardener

Dig and store tender bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and tubers in a cool, dark, place. Remove plant debris from the flowerbeds. Bag any diseased plant parts and put it in the trash or take it to a landfill but do not compost. Take a scenic drive to observe the changing fall foliage. The CT DEEP has […]

10 Tips for the August Gardener

Ten Tips for the August Gardener Click on highlighted links for additional information. Fertilize perennials with a 5-10-5 or 5-10-10 product to encourage continued blooming. Scout for C-shaped notches on the edges of the leaves of your perennials such as dahlias, roses, basil or coleus that are caused by Asiatic beetle feeding. Houseplants can dry out quicker in the heat […]