Make no mistake about it — News Leader readers always come up with some thought-provoking questions, including this inquiry from Nick M. of Staunton: "This is a crazy question, but how do you plant an ...

The fruit of the Osage orange tree. (Clay Wollney) Indeed they do, but you won't see them growing on hedges any more. Better known as the Osage orange, the gnarly green fruit that smells like the skin ...

Question: My sweet southern-raised grandmother, who is an avid gardener, called me a few days ago inquiring where she could find seeds or cuttings of a favorite tree from her childhood. Curious, I ...

Few Missouri trees have histories that are more interesting than the Osage orange. These trees are probably most noticeable at this time of year due to the large bright green fruit — called “hedge ...

Osage oranges? Bah, humbug! They’re totally useless. Even a salesperson with the advertising acumen of a PT Barnum would be hard-pressed to promote them. They’re a harbinger of fall, as sure a sign of ...

You see them on the ground every fall, those grapefruit-sized green balls lying at the bottom of trees around Topeka or in the nearby countryside. It is doubtful you ever picked one up and ate it — a ...

Today we are going to have fun with the Osage orange, “maclura pomifera” — also known as brain fruit, monkey brains, Irish snowballs, postwood, bow wood, yellow wood, hedge oranges, hedge apples and ...