Moss, used as a ground cover, can create a feeling of being surrounded by a lush and ancient space. Mosses have become an attractive feature of Japanese gardens starting in the late 1800’s. In many areas outside of Japan, however, face challenges...

Traditional Japanese Garden plants languish in hot dry zones. Selecting alternative plants more suited for these climates increases success and enjoyment of your garden.. The plants highlighted in this article are selected for hardiness and suitability...

Large-scale global reforestation goals have been proposed to help mitigate climate change and provide other ecosystem services. To explore reforestation potential in the United States, we used GIS analyses, surveys of nursery managers and foresters,...

Diversification of urban forests is essential to enhance their resilience to future biotic
threats as well as those posed by a changing climate. Arboreta and botanic gardens
host a wide range of plant material that can be evaluated to...

The restoration of trees remains among the most effective strategies for climate change
mitigation.We mapped the global potential tree coverage to show that 4.4 billion hectares
of canopy cover could exist under the current climate....

Rough Brothers Inc. (pronounced Rou) has been a consistent supporter of the American Public Gardens Association for 28 years, but it’s good to periodically reintroduce ourselves to the Association’s members as over those 28 years, there are many new...

Concern over the use of pesticides in public areas, such as schools, daycare centers, and parks, has prompted some state and local governments to severely restrict or ban pesticides in these locations. Connecticut currently has bans for daycare centers...

Conifers are commonly planted in North America to provide year-round screening, as windbreaks or as focal trees in the landscape. However, conifers including certain species of spruce, pine, hemlock, cedar and fir planted in northern areas of North...

Mulches provide many benefits for trees and shrubs. Properly applied mulch will moderate soil temperatures, reduce soil moisture loss, reduce soil compaction, provide nutrients, improve soil structure, foster beneficial microbial communities, and keep...

Horticultural plants play various and critical roles for humans by providing fruits, vegetables, materials for beverages,and herbal medicines and by acting as ornamentals. They have also shaped human art, culture, and environments and thereby have...

Urbanization is a large driver of biodiversity globally. Within cities, urban trees, gardens, and residential yards contribute extensively to plant biodiversity, although the consequences and mechanisms of plant cultivation for biodiversity are...

The increasing specialization in architecture has clearly left its marks not only on the general
profession but also on architectural education. Many universities around the world react to this
development by offering primarily...

In the Tropical Andes millions of people depend upon the use of wild and domesticated
biodiversity for their livelihoods, but the complex interactions between the
ecological and social components of the region’s ecosystems remain poorly...

UC has been heavily involved in research and extension efforts impacting landscape water conservation legislation for over 30 years. In 1981, UC implemented the California Irrigation Management Information System, a network of weather stations that...

Understanding carbon footprint (CF) terminology and the science underlying its determination is important to minimizing the negative impacts of new product development and assessing positive or negative cradle-to-grave lifecycle impacts. Life cycle...

Climate change is our “biggest challenge,” “most pressing issue” or simply, and starkly, “a crisis.” As expressed in The Xishuangbanna Declaration on Botanical Gardens and Climate Change, there is much we can do as botanic gardens to help the world...

The aim of this guide is to enable you to select appropriate trees for your planting scheme. By doing so, you will enhance the benefits bestowed on our communities by trees, help enrich our shared landscape and create a more sustainable urban forest...

The below case studies were collected and shared in a September 2018 Newsletter from the Center for Plant Conservation. 

Based on an interview with Denise Knapp, Director of...

Urban forests produce ecosystem services that can benefit city dwellers, but are especially vulnerable to climate change stressors such as heat, drought, extreme winds and pests. Tree selection is an important decision point for managers wanting to...

Darrel Morrison discusses why he is intrigued by the value of linking ecology and ecological processes with art and music in the design of landscapes that might be considered “ecological art.” The products of ecological art have the potential to be,...