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Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

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House plant on ledge

Houseplants to grow on your kitchen counter

The kitchen is often the heart of every home. Whether it is time spent there preparing a family-favorite recipe, sitting around the table with loved ones, or resting at the counter as you enjoy a hot cup of coffee and read the morning news, many memories are made there, and countless hours are...
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an overgrown established apple tree in need of pruning

Get a jump on your tree fruit pruning before spring arrives

Thoughts may not naturally gravitate to pruning fruit trees in February, but they should – especially this year! Thanks to above-average temperatures for much of the winter season, fruit trees in Central Illinois are showing signs of waking up early. So, like it or not, it is time to get out there...
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a white cluster of yarrow flowers

Yarrow earns top honor as Herb of the Year

Grow a champion garden with award-winning plants. A plant showcasing a long season of showy blooms that is also drought tolerant, deer resistant, and visited by native pollinators is a prized addition for any garden. Yarrow, the International Herb Association’s 2024 Herb of the Year, earned the...
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a candy cane stripped amarylis flower

Grow or gift an amaryllis for a winter gardening experience

The gift of gardening is an experience anyone can appreciate this holiday season. Take the stress out of shopping this holiday season and give a blooming amaryllis kit that brings the beauty of nature indoors. Poinsettias are beautiful, popular holiday plants, but the gift of an amaryllis bulb kit...
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a cat looks out a brightly lit home at two carved and glowing pumpkins

Turn orange goo into black 'gold;' compost your pumpkins

Keep that pumpkin out of the trash. Halloween night may be filled with frights, but garbage day is where the real horror lurks. Every year, discarded pumpkins and decaying jack-o-lanterns are hauled off to landfills by the thousands. The masses of orange flesh piling up in landfills produce...
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Squash and pumpkins piled in mums

Pumpkins, gourds, and squash, oh my!

In falls fading light, toothy grins glow from neighborhood porches filled with pumpkins, squash, and gourds, festively displayed. All members of one family (Cucurbitaceae), cucurbits (pumpkin, squash, and gourds) are very functional fruits. Not only are they flavorful; the source of food usually...
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dormant tulip bulbs in black trays

Plant spring bulbs now for early spring beauty

Give it a rest. With outside temperatures cooling, many gardeners are ready to give their tools (and their body) a rest. Although your gardening enthusiasm may be fading, preparation has just begun for another season of color: planting spring bulbs.   After a cold snowy winter, you will be glad...
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