Get Growing Blog
Connecting people with the wonder, beauty, and value of trees and plants.
Most Recent
June 17, 2025
Get to Know Forest Forms Artist, Huelani Mei
If you’ve been to the Holden Arboretum recently, you’ve probably seen the bright and beautiful sculptures of the Forest Forms exhibit standing out against our green landscapes. They were created...
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June 13, 2025
It’s Poppin’: June 13
As I walked the campuses this week, I was struck by the number of beautiful, calming white blooms. Before we move into the heat of the summer, let’s take a...
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June 11, 2025
Celebrating Forest Stewardship at the 4th Annual Working Woods Field Day
On Saturday, June 7th, nearly a hundred forest lovers from across our region – from Franklin County, OH to Erie County, PA – gathered for the fourth annual Working Woods...
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June 6, 2025
It’s Poppin’: June 6
After a few weeks on a plant expedition to China, it was my pleasure to stroll the grounds of the Holden Arboretum and Cleveland Botanical Garden to see what was...
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May 29, 2025
It’s Poppin’: May 29
Cleveland Botanical Garden Last Saturday was the opening day of our summer exhibit Between Water and Stone, a 50th anniversary celebration of our Japanese Garden. When you step out onto...
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May 23, 2025
It’s Poppin’: May 23
It’s been a strange couple of weeks weather-wise—remember when it was 80 degrees and sunny, and now it’s rainy and chilly? No matter! The cool weather actually helps prolong the...
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May 15, 2025
It’s Poppin’: May 15
This week, the Rhododendron Gardens at the arboretum are in their full glory, and flowers are lighting up various pockets and corners at the botanical gardens. With the recent rain...
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May 13, 2025
Finding Familiar Roots in the Forests of China
I’m about to embark on an exciting adventure to explore China, home to incredibly diverse deciduous forests that look remarkably like our own. Holden Forests & Gardens is a founding member...
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May 8, 2025
It’s Poppin’: May 8
The photos speak for themselves this week—it’s definitely poppin’ out there! The arboretum really shines in May with fragrant lilacs blooming in the Display Garden and rhododendrons of every color...
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May 5, 2025
How Data-Driven Conservation Fledged 30,000+ Native Birds at Holden Arboretum
The bluebird program at Holden reached a milestone in 2024: 60 years of continuous conservation and data collection. This history is marked by clear successes in the effort to support...
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May 2, 2025
It’s Poppin’: May 2
Welcome back to It’s Poppin! This week in the gardens, time is flying—some of the trees and shrubs we highlighted just last week, like fragrant viburnums and serviceberries, have already...
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April 29, 2025
New Study Confirms Beech Leaf Disease Threatens European Beech Trees, Too
KIRTLAND, OHIO — A new study from Holden Forests & Gardens and a team at USDA Agricultural Research Service confirms that beech leaf disease—a fast-spreading disease already devastating American beech...
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April 28, 2025
Study Shows Forest Soils Still Bear the Scars of Industrial Pollution
KIRTLAND, OHIO — After 12 years of carefully tracking tree growth and soil chemistry, researchers at Holden Forests & Gardens (HF&G) have confirmed that phosphorus is now a limiting nutrient...
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April 28, 2025
A New Way to Detect Beech Leaf Disease: Rainwater Running Down Tree Trunks
KIRTLAND, OHIO — How do you detect a pathogen that lives way, way up in a tree’s canopy? A novel method for detecting beech leaf disease from the ground—using rainwater...
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April 25, 2025
Good News for Forests: Invasive Shrub Removal Gets Easier After Two Years of Work
KIRTLAND, OHIO — A new study from researchers at the Holden Arboretum offers encouraging news for forest managers battling non-native shrubs: the effort needed to control these invaders drops dramatically...
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April 24, 2025
It’s Poppin’: April 24 (Tulip Time!)
The weather seems to have finally broken this week and you can tell in our gardens. Magnolias, fragrant viburnum, tulips and wildflowers abound at both campuses, and new plants are...
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April 23, 2025
Beech Leaf Disease-Causing Nematode More Widespread Than Visible Symptoms Suggest, New Study Finds
KIRTLAND, OHIO — Researchers at Holden Forests & Gardens have confirmed that the nematode responsible for beech leaf disease (BLD), Litylenchus crenatae ssp. mccannii, is present in forest stands across...
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April 17, 2025
It’s Poppin’: April 17
Tulips, Magnolias, & Wildflowers Shine Blue Skies returned to northeast Ohio this week and many new blooms, lying in wait for the last several weeks, have popped. Wildflowers are now...
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April 16, 2025
New Exhibit Explores Relationship Between Mental Health and Nature
Cleveland, historically challenged by some of the highest crime rates in the nation and recently identified as the most stressed city in the country, presents a fertile ground for artistic...
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April 10, 2025
It’s Poppin’: April 10
We had some very cold temperatures this week, and while those put a damper on some of our early blooming trees, including our earliest blooming magnolias, there are still many...
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April 3, 2025
It’s Poppin’: April 3
Things are poppin’! Here’s a quick roundup of the highlights this week! At the garden, magnolias, cherries and daffodils are all at peak. Look for the following: At the Arboretum,...
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