John Hogan
John Hogan is a journalist with more than two decades of professional experience covering everything from homicides to hostas. He is winding down a 24-year career at The Grand Rapids Press, a daily newspaper in Michigan's second largest city. Readers embrace his weekly gardening column and home/garden feature stories on topics such as organic gardening, green living, green dying, pruning, home organization, lakefront real estate, mole control and self-control. His personality profiles offered in-depth looks at West Michigan movers and shakers ranging from Michigan State University men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo to the Rev. Walter Hurley, head of the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids. Hogan is the recipient of numerous writing awards for coverage of breaking news, illicit drug trafficking and outsourcing of jobs. His passion, however, is landscaping. Hogan is a certified Advanced Master Gardener and Master Woodland Manager through Michigan State University Extension. His hands-on experience -- from the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat, strikes a chord with newspaper and on-line readers at www.mlive.com. A personalized approach to writing that isn't bogged down with industry and technical jargon helps readers make sense of the topic at hand. And he's a good story-teller in the fine Irish tradition.
Latest Articles
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Remove Suckers to Improve Appearance of Trees
Late summer is a good time to remove suckers sprouting at the base of landscape trees as well as unwanted growth spurred by pruning cuts.
Aug 22, 2009
- John Hogan
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Tomato Plants Targeted by Insects and Disease
The satisfaction that comes from harvesting home-grown tomatoes can be tempered by fruit-marring diseases and the destruction of plant leaves by tomato hornworms.
Aug 4, 2009
- John Hogan
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With Ticks Active, Protect Yourself From Bites
Insect bites are part of the equation when spending time outdoors, but bites from several species of ticks can cause complications that are anything but routine.
Jul 28, 2009
- John Hogan
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Cool, Moist Weather Promotes Lawn Diseases
Turf diseases that favor cool, moist conditions are starting to appear in lawns, with the most common indicators being brown patches and red-colored grass blades.
Jul 22, 2009
- John Hogan
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Ample Rains Send Mosquito Numbers Soaring
Ample summer rains in many areas of the country is giving rise to large mosquito populations, making outdoor activities, especially at night, downright unpleasant.
Jul 20, 2009
- John Hogan
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Aphid Numbers and Damage Soar with the Heat
Flower gardens and trees are under siege by aphids, a tiny sucking insect that causes leaves to turn yellow and take on a distorted appearance.
Jul 12, 2009
- John Hogan
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Manage Conifers with Mid-Summer Pruning
Homeowners longing to have prized conifers resemble the finely-coiffed varieties grown at commercial tree farms can achieve the same look with timely mid-summer pruning.
Jul 1, 2009
- John Hogan
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Feeding Scale Insects Create Dirty, Sooty Mess
Scale insects are starting to get established on many types of trees, covering branches, leaves and anything beneath it with a stick, sooty mess populated by bees.
Jun 18, 2009
- John Hogan
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Hardwoods Plagued by Leaf-Chewing Caterpillars
The annual appearance of leaf-chewing caterpillars is underway, leaving pot-marked canopies in forests and suburban woodlots throughout the Midwest.
Jun 18, 2009
- John Hogan
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May-Blooming Poppies Rich in Color and Symbolism
When the distinctive, blood-red flowers of Oriental poppies start opening in late May, they receive special attention from both gardeners and American veterans.
May 11, 2009
- John Hogan
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