Welcome to the UConn Home & Garden Education Center
We're here to help you grow!

The UConn Home & Garden Education Center (HGEC) is a horticultural informational resource for the citizens of Connecticut and beyond. The staff at the Center reach nearly 400,000 citizens in outreach efforts each year.

Important Announcements

  • The UConn Home & Garden Education Center will be closed on Thursday November 23rd & Friday November 24th

 

UConn Home & Garden Education Center Hours:

Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Weekends: Closed

 

Knowledge To Grow On

Fact Sheets

Poinsettias in greenhouse

Gardening Tips

Amaryllis in teracotta pot.

E-Newsletter

December Newsletter Cover Collage

Newsletter for current horticultural news & events:
December Newsletter

Visit our newsletter archives

Newspaper Columns

Rime Ice on Forest Trees

This Week: Weird Weather in 2023

Visit Our Archive

The Ladybug Blog

GardenComm silver medal 2022

RSS UConn Ladybug Blog

UConn Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

The UConn IPM program educates growers and the general public about the judicious and safe use of organic and synthetic pesticides and alternative pest control methods. The program incorporates all possible crop management and pest management strategies through knowledgeable decision-making, utilizing the most efficient landscape and on-farm resources, and integrating cultural and biological controls.

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Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG)

The mission of the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group is to gather and convey information on the presence, distribution, ecological impacts, and management of invasive species; to promote uses of native or non-invasive ornamental alternatives throughout Connecticut; and to work cooperatively with researchers, conservation organizations, government agencies, green industries, and the general public to identify and manage invasive species pro-actively and effectively.

Learn more.

Ticks & Tick Testing

The two species of ticks most likely to be encountered in Connecticut are the wood or American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) and the smaller black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus) often called the deer tick as white-tailed deer are a favored host. Both carry diseases but it is the black-legged one that can transmit Lyme disease, human babesiosis and human granulocytic anaplasmosis.

Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory - Tick Testing Options

Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station-Information on Submitting Ticks

CAES: Spotted Lanternfly, New Invasive Insect

The Spotted Lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (White), an invasive planthopper, was discovered in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014. It is native to China, India, Vietnam, and introduced to Korea where it has become a major pest. This insect attacks many hosts including grapes, apples, stone fruits, and tree of heaven and has the potential to greatly impact the grape, fruit tree, and logging industries. Early detection is vital for the protection of Connecticut businesses and agriculture.

Learn more.

Diagnostic Services

UConn Home and Garden Education Center - PDL icon

Plant Diagnostic Laboratory

The UConn Plant Diagnostic Laboratory diagnoses plant problems including diseases, insect pests and abiotic causes.

 

Plant Diagnostic Lab

UConn Home and Garden Education Center - UConn Soil Nutrient Analysis Lab icon

Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory

The Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory processes about 14,000 soil samples annually. Samples are routinely tested for a variety of major and minor plant nutrients, lead and pH.

Soil Nutrient Analysis Lab

Partners