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Turning of seasons, in nature and life

The yellow leaves of the sugar maple, the reddish purple leaves of the ash and the multi-colored leaves of the sweet gum have begun to litter the ground, foreshadowing the end of a season and the celebration of the natural cycle. These fallen leaves will insulate the trees and plants while...
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Should we grow saffron crocus in Illinois?

Originally published by Kelly Allsup on September 15, 2017. Just yesterday, I began thinking about the fall bulb-planting season. I already have designs to plant early flowering spring bulbs for the bees like crocus, snow drops, siberian squill, winter aconite, hyacinths and grape...
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McLean master gardeners are awarded by Brittnay Haag

The University of Illinois Extension would like to congratulate McLean County Master Gardeners, Tracy Burr, Carolyn Erwin, Tudy Schmied, Pat Warren, Bob Williams, and Rose Yahnig for being recognized with the 2017 Outstanding State Master Gardener award. The Outstanding State Award was established...
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Livingston Master Gardeners Awarded by Brittnay Haag

The University of Illinois Extension would like to congratulate Livingston County Master Gardeners, Sandy Knight for being recognized as a 2017 Outstanding Illinois Master Gardener, and Dee Woodburn for being recognized as s 2017 Sustained Excellence Award Winner. In her six years as a Master...
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Woodford Master Gardeners awarded by Brittnay Haag

The University of Illinois Extension would like to congratulate Woodford County Master Gardeners, Nancy Carls for being recognized as a 2017 Outstanding Illinois Master Gardener, and Jack Pfaffmann for being recognized as s 2017 Sustained Excellence Award Winner. In her four years as a Master...
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Hungry Insects, Leave my tomatoes alone!

Master Gardeners go beyond the confines of the garden to answer and research gardening questions of all kinds throughout the entire growing season. We tend to notice trends. Those trends allow me to provide continued training for the Master Gardeners so that they can better serve the public. The...
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Identifying Butterflies with Kelly

Four Seasons Gardening Program Offers Fall Series The fall series of University of Illinois Extension's Four Seasons Gardening program is about ready to get underway on a computer near you. Four Seasons Webinars focus on environmental stewardship, home gardening, backyard food...
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Leaf Casting Class at Eureka Library on August 22

Grab the leaves from your garden and cast them BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Join us to see how you can make new gardening décor from the leaves laying in your garden right now. Through this exclusive demonstration, you can learn just how to cast and paint concrete leaves. Maybe you have...
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Too much mulch can kill your tree

Around town, piles of mulch are built up like volcanoes around the bases of trees. Perhaps it is because there is extra mulch: If a little is good, than a lot must be great. Perhaps it is an artistic statement. Perhaps it is learned from watching others in the neighborhood. The reasoning...
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