Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

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Plant Propagation Workshop at Sarah's Garden on July 29

July 14, 2017

On Saturday, July 29 from 9 A.M. to Noon, the University of Illinois McLean County Master Gardeners will be conducting a Plant Propagation Workshop at the award winning and city treasure, Sarah's Garden at the David Davis Mansion. Many of the plants propagated will be of heirloom origin and a plant...

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Herb Festival at Unity Community Center on July 27

July 10, 2017

University of Illinois Extension McLean County Master Gardeners would like to invite you and your family to a festival of herbs at the Unity Community Center, 632 Orlando Avenue Normal, on Thursday, July 27 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Bring the kids to participate in garden festivities while tasting...

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Gypsy moth spraying in Livingston County

July 7, 2017

Parts of Livingston County, McLean's northeast neighbor, have been scheduled for spraying this past week along with six other counties in northern Illinois for the gypsy moth, leaving the rest of us wondering will we be next. Gypsy moth caterpillars eat the leaves of hundreds of different species...

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A message from Extension Pollinator Garden Writer Sally Whaley

June 23, 2017

Extension Pollinator Gardens By Sally Whaley Hello, all you grateful gardeners! Well, you now have the warmer, dryer weather that you requested to have your garden flourish. In our Extension Pollinator Garden, our plants are starting to make the landscape colorful. This month we will talk about...

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Join the Barn Quilt Heritage Trail at Eureka Public Library

June 17, 2017

Join the Barn Quilt Heritage Trail at Eureka Public Library Eureka, Ill. – Looking for a staycation idea? Please join University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Program Coordinator Reid Young, as he stops at the Eureka...

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Warm days and thirsty plants: the art of watering

June 15, 2017

Warm days and thirsty plants: the art of watering BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – I often tell people that I have a Ph.D. in watering plants, states University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator, Kelly Allsup. As a young professional, I spent my days deciding if I...

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Master Gardeners bloom through training

June 1, 2017

Master Gardeners bloom through training BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – University of Illinois Extension McLean & Livingston County Master Gardeners is proud to welcome 18 new interns to the program after completing 14 weeks of extensive training by University of Illinois and University...

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More to monarch decline than just milkweed

May 20, 2017

More to it than just the Milkweed BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Most Illinois gardeners believe that the cause of declining monarch butterfly populations is due to the lack of milkweed in the summer breeding areas of our state. However, research done by the Illinois Natural History Survey,...

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Sand Wasps by Phil Nixon

May 10, 2017

Sand wasps have similar habits to the cicada killer, but they occur earlier in the spring, with other species common later in the growing season. There are several species, ranging in size from 1/2 to almost 1 inch long. They are dark-colored, slender wasps with one or more contrasting gray to...

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It's tomato time at the Eureka Library on May 23rd

May 9, 2017

Time to Learn how to produce Tip Top Tasty Tomatoes Fresh sun ripened tomatoes are an essential ingredient in many garden inspired recipes: Pico de Gallo, Caprese salad, and salsa. In these dishes, a store purchased tomato simply will not do. These tomatoes have been chilled, thawed, stored,...

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