Berlin Goes Nuts Over Rare Palm Fruit

In 2010, Berlin's Botanical Garden received a rare and precious gift from the Seychelles: a nut from the Coco de Mer palm, prized around the world for centuries. Now that they've managed to sprout the fickle fruit, joy is matched with jitters as botanists in the chilly city strive to keep the tropical wonder alive.

Weekend Plantings: Society Garlic

Numerous plants, especially culinary herbs and fruit trees, are considered both ornamental and edible. Surprisingly, the culinary value of society garlic, a grassy-leaved, evergreen perennial from South Africa, generally goes unrecognized, even though the young leaves of this 12-inch-tall plant provide the same flavor as garlic chives.

Banana trees in a tropical jungle...

The Miller Nature Preserve in the Lorain MetroParks is blooming with plants from the tropics and from the desert.

Boom time for Duriyan and Rambuttan sellers

Unlike in other countries, the Sri Lankan tropical climate and the soil are suitable to grow any variety of fruit that could be seen in different parts of the world. For example, mango or butter fruit, commonly known as avacado are not grown in England or Australia.

Storms may have killed off many stink bugs, but will they stay away?

The combined fury of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee may have drowned much of the region's stink bug population, but scientists are still hesitant to say that homeowners will see fewer of them when the weather warms. "We suspect it was heavy rain because of the regional effect on them," said Tracy Leskey, research entomologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "The population is ...