Over the Garden Fence 2015

Winter weather can certainly take its toll on our ornamental plants, flower bud killing temperatures, heaving our plants out of the soil, maybe even killing our plants down to the ground to start over and the needle desiccation of our evergreens. Another unwelcome surprise many gardeners are...

About now homeowners who enjoy the crackling fire outside in the fire pit may be thinking about that transition to the indoor fireplace. Burning questionable quality firewood outside does not take away anything from the joy of sitting around the pit after dark. It can make a difference in the...

While reviewing the University of Illinois Plant Clinic Newsletter, it became clear that this season has really been about diseases, starting with the usual and expected diseases that come along with the cooler temperatures and rains of spring. Plant diseases continued as our rains continued well...

Homeowners have likely heard of core aeration as a way to relieve soil compaction in the lawn. While that is certainly true, coring has several more benefits for the grass plant, soil profile and microbial activity in the ground and thatch management. When the soil beneath the lawn is compacted,...

Last weeks' column briefly mentioned starting seeds for the flower or vegetable garden and that you need to start by reviewing the seed packet instructions. That is just the start of course of what will be a several week adventure. For our area, May 5th has been the average frost free date for...