Ongoing research

Soft green leaves and delicate flower heads celebrate spring and renewal. Now is the time to renew gardens and home landscapes. One chore per week, just four per month, will keep a garden going.

Visit these links for a round-up of recent health and nutrition news, information, and events. For general healthy eating information based on an expert analysis of nutrition research, visit ChooseMyPlate.gov . For individual questions, consult a registered dietitian or medical provider.

Spring is indeed a wonderful time of year. Perennials that have been in a rest-and-relaxation mode suddenly burst into glorious color with no effort from the custodians of the landscape: the home gardener.

It is spring, and I can hear Lou Rawls on the radio in my mind singing You are going to miss my Lovage! While not late in the midnight hour (baby), if you have ever had it and now lack it, you are missing lovage.

Tree: Cercis Canadensis is Eastern redbud and it comes in a variety of cultivars. I had several trees at my previous home and they were old, 70 plus years and large 25 feet or more. They were lovely to enjoy each spring as the blooms are densely distributed and attract scores of bees.

Chill weather slows down grass growth in our lawns and we can notice the bright yellow flowers of Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion. In our mild climate, dandelions bloom nearly year-round. Even as they bloom, these weeds seldom rise above their basal rosette at the lawn surface.

When I first started vegetable gardening as a young mom, I never gave much thought to seed catalogs. Like most gardeners I knew, I bought my seeds from the local nursery and, for the most part, planted the same seeds each season.

Fruit trees produce more fruit than they can handle or support adequately, mainly if the trees were not correctly pruned in the recent season. To get a healthy crop from fruit trees, the implementation of this procedure will help produce a bountiful and healthy harvest.

Gardens come in an infinite variety-- limited by one's imagination, resources, and environment. At its essence, a garden is a planned space incorporating a singular or variety of natural elements such as rocks, plants, water, shrubs, and trees.

The term monocarpic defines those plants that flower a single time, set seeds for reproduction, and then die. There are annuals, biennials, and perennials in this category of plant material. The primary drive of a plant is to reproduce. Some plants produce seeds for that purpose.