Research and garden news
Gardening News
Verified reporting on plant research, garden developments, and horticultural decisions, written for readers in the United States and beyond.
Scientists describe a new ground-growing orchid from Peru
Ponthieva ravenii has been described from Yanachaga Chemillén National Park in central Peru. The new paper highlights flower structures that distinguish it from related orchids.
Cucumber Gene CsBZS1 Offers New Clue to Fruit Set Without Pollination
Researchers linked a cucumber gene to fruit development without pollination. The CsBZS1 findings may inform future breeding, but they do not yet establish a ready-to-grow improved variety.
USDA Awards $86.6 Million to U.S. Specialty Crops, From Fruit to Nursery Plants
Blueberries, apples, nursery plants and pest research are among the priorities behind USDA’s $86.6 million award. The October 13 announcement covers about 609 state projects. Here is where the money is going and how the program reaches growers.
A Giant Waterlily Was Spotted on Instagram. Scientists Have Now Named a New Species
An Instagram photo, a midnight boat trip and a flower found before dawn helped reveal Victoria colombiana. The giant waterlily is new to science, but local communities already knew where it grew.
USDA Clears Engineered Red African Marigold: Can Gardeners Buy It?
USDA's October 13 decision concerns a genetically engineered red-flowered African marigold, not the red French marigolds already in stores. What changed, what it does not prove, and whether gardeners can buy the new plant.