Above, left to right: With some fall prep, this is what your peonies will look in the spring. This is a view of the Nichols Arboretum Peony Garden, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2022. Center: powdery mildew on peony leaves. Right: botrytis fungus on...

Invasive bittersweet fruit in early fall in a southeast Michigan park.It's easy to spot invasive bittersweet in the fall.In farmers markets and shops this time of year you might come across Asian bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) for sale as part of a seasonal...

Then & Now: We're digging into our past and reflecting on the many changes our properties have gone through. After the conservatory was completed in 1965, Matthaei Botanical Gardens welcomed faculty, students, and visitors to the facility that featured a tropical,...

The flowers of narrowleaf bittercress. Photo: Lower Hudson Partnership for Regional Invasive Species.The first-year rosette of narrowleaf bittercress. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.By Joseph Mooney Invasive of the Week: narrowleaf bittercress, Cardamine impatiens. We’ve...

Amur honeysuckle berries in early fall.Amur honeysuckle flowers. Surprisingly fragrant. Photo: Plant Image Library.The invasive honeysuckles employ the neat trick of leafing out in early spring. This shades out native plants and give the honeysuckle a competitive...

The adult spotted lanternfly is quite beautiful. Photo: Getty Images.An adult spotted lanternfly with its wings closed.Spotted lanternfly nymphs in an instar (phase between molting) that's very close to when the insect becomes an adult. Photo: Pennsylvania Department...

Then & Now: We're digging into our past and reflecting on the many changes our properties have gone through. Construction on the Dixboro property began in 1958. The conservatory was the last to be completed, eight years later. Several updates have been made since...

Please welcome the newest member of the Matthaei-Nichols team, Ivana Lopez-Espinosa. Ivana joins us as the DEI manager (diversity, equity, and inclusion). She most recently worked at the Edward Ginsberg Center at the University of Michigan, where she was the equity...

Garden arches made from steel and donated garden tools at the Campus Farm at Matthaei were designed by former intern and student worker Kat Shiffler. Left to right, the arches frame the straw bale house at the farm; show the hoop houses at the farm in the background;...

Ripe autumn olive berries showing their characteristic speckles.The tops of autumn olive leaves are dark green.The underside of autumn olive leaves is always a soft grayish green.Autumn olive branches and bark.By Emily Lilla & Joseph Mooney This week autumn olive...