The large, colorful blooms of the Amaryllis can brighten dreary winter days. This South American native has showy flowers in a range of colors from white to pink to red. Amaryllis is a beautiful addition to holiday or winter décor.
Getting Started
Often you will find Amaryllis sold as a bulb in a...
The delicate paperwhites, Narcissus tazetta, are a lovely way to brighten winter days.
These relatives of the daffodil are an excellent choice for winter blooms as they don’t require a chilling period as other bulbs do.
Paperwhites have a cluster of small blooms at the end of a flower...
The beautiful Poinsettia is a colorful plant that brightens dark winter days. Whether you use it to decorate for the holiday season or it was given to you as a gift, giving the plant the care it needs can keep it colorful for six to eight weeks in the home.
The showy-colored parts of the...
The festive poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, is a lovely addition to holiday décor. The bright, cheery plant, a native to Mexico, comes in many colors and sizes making it a good choice to brighten up the long, dark days of winter.
The showy colored parts of the poinsettia are...
Growing food is not limited to outdoors in the summer.
With some planning, you can grow food indoors throughout the year.
Make a plan
Before starting your indoor kitchen garden, it is essential to think about what you want to gain by growing food indoors. You might wish to have herbs to give...
At first: Why save seeds?
Saving seeds is a great way to save money and be prepared for the following year, but it is also a way to pick out the best of what you have grown and save seeds from that specimen (flower, vegetable, etc.). With each successive year, you...
Healthy soil is essential for healthy plants. Using cover crops in the home garden is one way to promote soil health.
Cover crops are non-harvested crops that add organic matter to the soil, transfer nitrogen by creating nitrogen compounds usable by plants, and break up heavy clay or...
What you need to know
Clovers are making a comeback in lawn seed mixes. Today many families want to attract more pollinators to their yards. They are searching for ecologically sound ways to grow grass, including adding white clover back to the turf seed mix. Clover adds diversity and...
By Laura Bradshaw, Extension Master Naturalist serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell counties
The topic of the importance of pollinators is becoming more and more common. People are realizing the importance and taking action such as providing pollinator friendly plants and habitat....
Just what are frankincense and myrrh? Certainly, they are part of many Christmas stories, but do you know what those products are and why they were so valuable? Here is more information on both of these plant-based products.
Frankincense and myrrh are both resins -- dried tree sap -- that come...
