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Glyphosate, is the active ingredient in Roundup® and other herbicide (weed killer) products. It is systemic (absorbed by foliage and moves throughout the plant) and non-selective (can stunt and kill any plant). But, it has been in the spotlight as a possible cancer-causing compound. This has raised...

Photo: Pixabay Hydrangeas add beauty to any landscape. They have attractive foliage and produce large, striking blossoms. Hydrangeas are also hardy, insect, and disease resistant, and versatile. They grow well in a variety of soils and tolerate wetness better than most other woody plants. One...

Pruning Tree and Shrub Basics Pruning Trees Pruning Shrubs and Hedges Pruning Tools Guide to Pruning Hydrangeas

Whether in natural areas or in our gardens, climate change is affecting native plants. According to the Maryland Climate Summary, our temperatures are expected to increase 5⁰ F to 11⁰ F by 2100. Higher temperatures cause native plants to experience more heat-related stress. Heat stress causes...

Why are Invasive Plants a Problem? Invasive plants displace native plants, reducing both the amount of native plant cover and the number of native species present in an ecosystem. This decline reverberates up the food web, causing, for example, losses in insect and songbird diversity. This type of...

Tips Methods Shrubs Hedges Evergreens When to Prune Videos Pruning Tips Before you plant know the mature height and width of the plants you choose. Pruning will not keep a plant too large for its space the correct size. Pruning actually stimulates growth. Pruning and thinning shrubs reduce disease...

Many people have had unfortunate experiences as a result of white-tailed deer overpopulation. Lyme disease, vehicle collision, and crop loss are examples. Deer can also cause significant landscape damage. Deer resistant vegetation is a key to successful gardening in modern Maryland, but lists of...

Protecting a shady slope is different than protecting a sunny slope. The tree canopy intercepts raindrops, and that's a big head start on preventing erosion. Leaves shed by trees accumulate on the forest floor and intercept any raindrops that make it through the canopy. Tree roots stretch out in...

Historically, alien plant species with the following attributes were used for the purpose of slope stabilization: aggressive, spreading behavior deer resistance quick germination and growth winter presence Many of these species are now regarded as invasive plants . A more modern and ecologically...

This webpage presents information about the selection of plant species for creating meadows in Maryland's two Coastal Plain ecoregions (63 and 65, below). Even when plant species are native in multiple ecoregions, local populations are often best adapted to local growing conditions. For this reason...