Rebecca Finneran
MSU Extension
Environmental quality
Kent County Extension Office
Ornamentals, Landscape and Turf Systems
Have a question about gardening, residential/home horticulture or consumer agriculture? Call 1-888-678-3464. Or, submit your questions electronically by visiting migarden.msu.edu.
Authored Articles
- Garlic mustard: Michigan’s worst woodland weed, May 22, 2020
- Creepy, orange fungus attacking junipers, May 15, 2020
- Smart Gardening Conference to focus on smart plants, February 13, 2020
- Lakeshore Extension Master Gardener Program scheduled for March, January 21, 2020
- Fertilizer basics for the smart gardener, January 15, 2020
- Extension Master Gardener Program scheduled for Lakeshore area in 2020, December 3, 2019
- Register now for national conference on protecting pollinators in urban landscapes, September 4, 2019
- Gypsy moth outbreaks in Michigan, August 22, 2019
- Pollinators in urban landscapes, May 1, 2019
- Factors that threaten pollinator health, May 1, 2019
- Better habitat for bees, May 1, 2019
- Potential impact of mosquito and nuisance insect sprays on pollinators, May 1, 2019
- Best Management Practices, May 1, 2019
- Biological control and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for protecting pollinators, May 1, 2019
- Do not spray pollinator-attractive plants with insecticides when open flowers are present, May 1, 2019
- Landscape plants and wildflowers attractive to butterflies for nectar feeding, May 1, 2019
- Introduction to protecting and increasing pollinators in your landscape, May 1, 2019
- Creating and maintaining pollinator friendly habitat, May 1, 2019
- Protecting pollinators during home lawn grub control, May 1, 2019
- Flowers throughout the year, May 1, 2019
- Considerations for disease management, May 1, 2019
- How to control invasive pests while protecting pollinators and other beneficial insects, May 1, 2019
- Selection, planting and care of trees and shrubs to avoid the need for pesticides, May 1, 2019
- Demystifying GMOs for gardeners, February 1, 2019
- What is that big purple ball growing in the garden?, October 9, 2018
- Gypsy moth outbreaks may be contained with the help of a little fungus, June 22, 2018
- Tree, turf and ornamental plant update – June 22, 2018, June 22, 2018
- Boxwood leafminer: A serious pest of a favorite landscape plant, May 11, 2018
- Making the most out of your soil test, March 13, 2018
- Beautiful gardens are also resource-responsible, February 14, 2018
- Smart gardeners improve their soil and weed control with organic mulch, January 24, 2018
- New EQIP initiative to enhance monarch butterfly habitat in Michigan, January 10, 2018
- Don’t miss registering for 2017 Protecting Pollinators in Urban Landscapes Conference, September 12, 2017
- Garden smarter with Michigan State University Extension programs, August 14, 2017
- Volunteering opportunities for west Michigan Master Gardeners, July 13, 2017
- Extend the gardening season with—what, spray paint?, July 12, 2017
- Keynote presenters announced for second annual national protecting pollinators conference, July 11, 2017
- Second national conference on protecting pollinators in urban landscapes, May 17, 2017
- Join other gardeners in west Michigan to become a Master Gardener, May 5, 2017
- Christmas tree, turf and ornamental plant update – May 5, 2017, May 5, 2017
- Bare root plants provide opportunities for early spring planting, March 16, 2017
- New landscape shrubs revealed at Smart Gardening Conference, February 17, 2017
- Debunking garden myths and mulch are popular topics at 2017 Smart Gardening Conference, February 7, 2017
- Smart gardening to deter deer, December 20, 2016
- Pest-free gardens begin with fall cleanup, October 12, 2016
- Poison ivy: Can it grow on trees?, May 31, 2016
- Smart Gardening Conference deadline extends through Feb. 26, 2016, February 17, 2016
- Gardening for pollinators: Smart plants to support pollinators, February 9, 2016
- Invite pollinators to your garden by creating a smart habitat, February 2, 2016
- Oriental bittersweet: An aggressive, invasive plant, November 13, 2015
- Gardening for pollinators: Choosing smart plants to support pollinators, October 9, 2015
- Native plants provide a smart solution for your gardening challenges, May 13, 2015
- Gardening in shade: Choose from a “smart” plant palette, April 27, 2015
- Winter deer damage heavy? Seek deer-resistant plants, March 30, 2015
- Designing home landscapes that are both biodiverse and beautiful, February 26, 2015
- Preparing the smart vegetable garden, February 11, 2015
- Smart watering in the vegetable garden, January 15, 2015
- Overwintering tender garden plants, November 21, 2014
- It’s not too late to mulch fallen leaves into lawns, November 17, 2014
- Indian pipes: Oddities of the plant world, November 14, 2014
- Picking the right pumpkin from the patch, October 8, 2014
- Daylily flower power! Late season care for the jewel of the garden, July 31, 2014
- Locust leaf miner cause of browning roadside trees, July 31, 2014
- Soils for gardeners: Unlocking the secrets to the living component of a healthy soil, May 28, 2014
- Zoysiagrass: A warm-season grass in a cool-season world, April 25, 2014
- Smart gardening: A new initiative helping gardeners become environmentally savvy and smart, April 9, 2014
- Shrubs breaking down? Recovering the landscape from Old Man Winter, March 20, 2014
- Smart twist on 2014 Smart Gardening Conference, February 14, 2014
- Water-smart landscapes by design, February 7, 2014
- Smart Gardeners mow leaves into lawn to bring green returns next year, November 18, 2013
- Indoor houseplants can be gleaned from your outdoor summer containers, November 18, 2013
- Fall perennial care – less is more, November 1, 2013
- Michigan chestnuts: Making your holiday meal memorable, October 29, 2013
- Fall color: It’s show time in Michigan!, September 24, 2013
- Designing your outdoor room, August 26, 2013
- For best appearances, stake large, heavy flowers, August 23, 2013
- Downy mildew alternatives display helps “little garden” have big impact, August 22, 2013
- Summer flower care keeps your plants blooming strong, June 28, 2013
- Fertilizing established perennial gardens – feed ‘em and weep, May 17, 2013
- Mother’s Day gardening gifts of service, May 3, 2013
- Smart gardeners replace worn out turf with thrifty ground covers, April 30, 2013
- Impatiens downy mildew: A curse and opportunity for your garden, April 29, 2013
- Gardeners frustrated with heavy deer damage this season, April 10, 2013
- Delightful daylilies: Sharpen your shovels then divide and conquer, April 9, 2013
- Smart plants: Understanding what makes up a perennial garden, February 28, 2013
- Growing orchids for beginners, February 27, 2013
- Smart gardeners mulch fallen leaves into lawn to save money, January 24, 2013
- Smart gardeners get the dirt on soil testing, January 24, 2013
- Smart lakefront plants, January 24, 2013
- Recycle your fresh Christmas tree and protect against deer browse, December 26, 2012
- 2013 garden shows focus on “smart gardening”, December 20, 2012
- Real Christmas trees: A natural choice, November 28, 2012
- Avoid burning plants by poor fertilization placement, October 12, 2012
- Produce healthy garden plants by knowing the basics of fertilizers, October 12, 2012
- Great gardens begin with healthy flowers: Fertilizing annual flowers fact sheet now available, October 1, 2012
- The last word on watering perennials, June 28, 2012
- Earwigs: Bane of summer garden plants, June 22, 2012
- Slugs are making tracks on my garden favorites!, June 22, 2012
- Giant hogweed in the landscape, June 19, 2012
- Perennial fertilization fact sheets now available, May 7, 2012
- Now is the time to pull garlic mustard, one of Michigan’s most invasive weeds, May 2, 2012
- What’s “growin’ on” with this weird weather?, March 16, 2012
- Repot orchids for encore bloom performance, March 8, 2012
- Shopping for the gardener on your list, November 16, 2011
- Winter protection: Just one of many fall garden chores, November 15, 2011
- Crazy cabbages: Ornamental kale makes the fall garden bloom, November 15, 2011
- Dig in now to plant a living Christmas tree, November 15, 2011
- Sharpen your shovel for late-summer garden chores, August 31, 2011
- Families discover nature at Kent County’s Pickerel Lake, August 29, 2011
- Tough plants for tough places: Grasses, August 29, 2011
- Excess drying leads to poor mulch performance, August 10, 2011
- Water saving perennials: Carefree and beautiful without the fuss, August 10, 2011
- Long live the hanging basket, July 13, 2011
- Dazzling daylilies: Spice up your summer garden, July 11, 2011
- Slog of wet weather brings on garden pests, May 27, 2011
- Pruning evergreen shrubs, April 27, 2011
- When can I plant? Check your area’s frost free date, April 22, 2011
- Weeds reveal growing conditions of site, February 18, 2011
- New twists in vegetable gardening, February 16, 2011
- Animal feeding damage and the landscape, February 15, 2011
- Ten-Year tetanus shots, February 10, 2011
- Home for the Holly Daze, December 16, 2010
- Caring for amaryllis, December 16, 2010
- Tropicals heat up summer gardens, August 11, 2010
- Daylilies add summer sizzle to perennial garden, July 22, 2010
- Mushroom relative looks like garden prank, June 24, 2010
- Pansies with personality, April 22, 2010
- Garlic mustard: Threat to woodlands, April 22, 2010
- Mulch overload!, April 22, 2010
- Spring is the time to plan for fall, March 20, 2009
- Christmas peppers in your home garden, June 27, 2008
- Winter snows encourage rodent damage, April 4, 2008
- Environmental trends in gardening, March 21, 2008
- Hungry beetle puts balance back in nature, August 24, 2007
- Going native, August 10, 2007
- Azure agapanthus, queen of the show, May 25, 2007
- Mulch madness, April 17, 2007
- Garlic mustard: Rapid invader of Michigan woodlands, April 13, 2007
- Poison ivy alert, July 14, 2006
- Lilies of summer: A great growing season, July 14, 2006
- Science-fiction fungi, May 19, 2006
- Spring 2006: a season of memorable blooms, May 5, 2006
Articles Featuring
- To protect pollinators, go easy on the fall garden cleanup, September 18, 2018
Authored Documents
- Smart Gardening: Fertilizer basics for the smart gardener, January 15, 2020
- Smart gardeners improve their soil and weed control with organic mulch, January 24, 2018
- Smart gardening to deter deer, January 6, 2017
- Mulching Leaves into Turf Video, May 23, 2016
- Smart watering in the vegetable garden, May 16, 2016
- Preparing the smart vegetable garden, May 16, 2016
- Water-smart landscapes by design, May 12, 2016
- Don’t guess - soil test! Get your Home Lawn and Garden Soil Test kit today, May 11, 2016
- Mulch leaves into turf for a smart lawn, May 10, 2016
- Smart lakefront plants, May 10, 2016
- Impatiens downy mildew: A curse and opportunity for smart gardeners, May 10, 2016
- Smart Gardening: Invite pollinators by creating a smart habitat, April 5, 2016
- Gardening for pollinators: Smart plants to support pollinators, April 5, 2016
- Michigan Fresh: Soil Testing (E3192), January 26, 2015